Bukayo Saka red flag spotted in Arsenal draw with Leverkusen as star subbed off

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Arsenal came from behind against Bayer Leverkusen to draw in their Champions League round of 16 first leg in Germany, while Bukayo Saka only played 60 minutes

Former Arsenal defender Matthew Upson spotted a red flag with Bukayo Saka in the Gunners' 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash.

Mikel Arteta's side had to come from a goal down after Robert Andrich opened the scoring from a set piece in Germany, with Kasper Hjulmand's side making a fast start to the second half.

Before the final whistle, substitute Kai Havertz stepped up from the penalty spot to level against his former club, with the two sides all square heading into the second leg at the Emirates next week.

The Gunners weren't at their best, though, and Upson felt that Saka – who played just 60 minutes before being taken off – struggled in one vs one scenarios.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Upson said: "Saka's had no joy at all in those one v one situations and it's mainly due to Palacios' reading of the game.

"He looks mentally like he's having a dip. He's just not at the races, he sees three players in front of him and he's trying to take them all on."

The game swung in Arsenal's favour late on, with Saka replaced by Noni Madueke on the hour mark as Arteta's side went looking for a breakthough.

They were made to work hard for it, but eventually got their breakthrough in the 89th minute, with Madueke winning a penalty after being fouled by Malik Tillman.

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Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, Karen Carney said: "He wasn't [at the races] and I wonder did he have a little bit of a knock or something? I also think sometimes, you don't play well as a winger but he's still your captain and he's still your best player.

"I know there's other people playing for places, and fighting for places and competition. For me, if he's your best player you don't take him off because he can produce moments of magic.

"It doesn't feel right. Whether he's fatigued because he's played so much football, but he wasn't quite himself tonight. He wasn't picking the right moments to take people on and he was a little bit sloppy in possession.

"He's still the captain and the best players. I'd still rely on him and give him a start next week."

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown said: "The key thing is - the manager is spinning plates. The manager can recognise and see that [Saka is struggling] and on the hour he gets him off.

"He puts the player on who can do the job and that will happen between now and the end of the season."