On the 13 previous occasions that the two teams had met (since 2004/2005), Bayern had won seven, Arsenal had won four, and the other two matches had been drawn.
Arsenal had a 100% record to protect
Although Wednesday night's encounter had come very early on in the league stage of the competition, it was no less important for either side to be able to grab the three points.
Prior to the game, the Bavarians had won one and drawn one of their previous 2026/27 UCL encounters, and were 10th in the table, whilst the Gunners had a 100% record to protect but were only three places above their opponents.
Though Bayern were unbeaten in their last 15 games, they were shocked in their previous Champions League game, as they could only muster a 3-3 draw at Lyse Arena against minnows Viking.
Arsenal could also draw upon their win over the Bundesliga giants in last season's league stage as motivation to make Vincent Kompany's life even more difficult in the premier European competition.
A combined 11 changes
A combined 11 changes from the teams compared to the starting XIs in their previous UCL matches (Viking/Lille) was a surprise, and within 10 minutes of the start of this one, the Gunners had to make one more as Bukayo Saka had to be replaced by Eberechi Eze.
The visitors had made much of the early running in the match, with Riccardo Calafiori going close with one of his four attempts on the night, more than any other Arsenal player.
Bruno Guimaraes (90.3% pass completion) and Martin Odegaard (90%) were knocking the ball about confidently, and Bayern weren't truly able to get a foothold in those early stages.
When Eze allowed a brilliant through ball from the Norwegian to drift past him before rifling home in the 25th minute, it was no more than Arsenal deserved, and though the offside flag curtailed any initial celebrations, a VAR review soon reversed the on-field decision.
Brilliant from Kane, decisive from Davies
Rather than handing Arteta's side a platform from which to build, the goal stoked the fire as far as Bayern were concerned, with Alphonso Davies taking it upon himself to keep knocking on the door.
11 one-on-one duels contested over the course of the match tell their own story, as do his five dribbles, three of which were successful.
However, it was Arsenal's nemesis, Harry Kane, who provided the moment of the first half, when his beautiful through ball found Davies to equalise, the full-back galloping clear of a retreating Gunners back line.
The assist was Ballon d'Or contender Kane's 16th goal contribution in his last 10 UCL games (12 goals, four assists), and his second assist in the competition this season, more than any of his teammates had managed.
Raya's brilliance in vain
He'd go close himself before the break, but his effort was blocked, as the Bavarians attempted to pile on the pressure.
Calafiori had two more off-target attempts of his own, though Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes would need to show their worth in a defensive sense in order to keep the scores level by half-time.
Gabriel's three interceptions across the game were necessary, and more than any teammate could manage, whilst Rice's six attempted tackles helped to keep the opponents at bay.
David Raya's save from Dayot Upamecano's superb downward header directly after the break kept Arsenal in it, but the Spaniard could do nothing when Kane buried a penalty not long after, when the Gunners were penalised for a handball in the area.
Rice levels it up
Both Guimaraes and Eze had efforts on target, with the latter also winning nine of his 13 contested one-on-one duels, just one less than Rice's 10 successful duels.
The ability to hang in there, which was also helped by Calafiori's five successful one-on-ones (from six), three successful headed duels (from four), and yet another attempt at goal, meant that Arsenal were still in the game as it reached its latter stages.
Viktor Gyokeres had come on in the 68th minute but had done little, until his only touch in the box - and a brilliant one it was too - fell right into Rice's path, and he buried an 82nd-minute equaliser.
That was a just reward for Rice's industry and endeavour throughout the match; however, the Swedish international's lack of associative play must again be a worry for Arteta.
Just six touches and that one accurate pass in 22 minutes of football, for a player who cost €63m (£55m), is nowhere close to being good enough.
In any event, for the final few minutes, the visitors dug in, and the draw meant Arsenal remain unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League games (inside 90 minutes), their longest such streak in the competition.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
