Here is our Arsenal Debrief after the Gunners battled hard to come from behind and earn a valuable Champions League point on the road at Bayern Munich courtesy of Declan Rice's late leveller

Arsenal's thrilling 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich was only the second time they have fallen behind and then avoided defeat in a European Cup or Champions League match. The other time was in April 2024 when they battled back to earn, you guessed it, another 2-2 draw against the Bundesliga champions.

Interestingly, no Premier League side has more goal contributions from substitutes across all competitions this term than the reigning champions - now on five goals and four assists following decisive contributions from "finishers" Eberechi Eze (scored opener) and Viktor Gyokeres (assisted equaliser) in Bavaria.

Eze came off the bench to drive home the opener before the Gunners, who lost Bukayo Saka to a worrying-looking quad injury, were boldly pegged back by the hosts following goals from Alphonso Davies and Ballon d'Or contender Harry Kane.

However, Declan Rice then came up trumps with just eight minutes left of normal time to snatch Arsenal a valuable point. There is lots to unpack in the aftermath of the pulsating draw, so here are some talking points and items from Munich.

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No crutches for Saka

Bukayo Saka hobbled through the mixed-zone on crutches, which is something Arsenal must view positively as they await an update on his condition.

The England international winger appeared to feel real discomfort in his left quad during the opening exchanges of the contest after releasing the ball.

Arsenal's medical staff quickly determined the issue was relatively serious. Mikel Arteta later told TNT Sports: "They are a bit concerned. A player who has to come off with a really sharp pain is never good news but we have to wait and see."

The Spaniard was also quizzed on Saka's injury during his press conference when he told football.london that he didn't know whether the issue was a consequence of the jam-packed schedule.

He explained: "I don't know. It was early, he didn't start the game. Then he started the game on the weekend and it was very early in the game. The level of intensity this game requires as well is something incredible.

"You could see it last night, the PSG-Barcelona game, what happened. This is man-to-man for 96 minutes in every action. There's no breathing. The stress, the quality, the intensity, the level that you need, it's unbelievable. It's the highest level. And those things happen, unfortunately. It doesn't look good at all, but we have to wait and see."

According to

, the potential recovery timeline appears favourable due to the injury's location. Scans will be required to determine the extent of the damage.

A Grade 1 tear would usually require one-to-three weeks of rest while a Grade 2 or 3 tear would result in a multi-week absence, potentially lasting months.

Saka was able to walk unassisted back to the Arsenal bus and he's expected to be examined upon arrival back in London. Arsenal stayed overnight in Munich.

Monstrous Rice

It's little wonder that on a night where much of the talk regarded Harry Kane's pursuit of the Ballon d'Or, Declan Rice rose to the occasion and gate-crashed the conversation.

While Rice isn't in the running for the top prize, he is nominated and that should serve as a real source of pride.

Generally speaking, when Arsenal need a hero or not a moment, Rice is a player they will frequently turn to and he'll very rarely fail to deliver the goods.

His excellent equaliser was one of his finest moments in Gunners colours yet. He boasted the most touches (99), set the tone in opening 30 minutes - where Arsenal showcased maturity and really impressed - with a few big tackles, made nine defensive contributions, won 100 per cent of his aerial duels and his set-piece deliveries caused chaos in the Bayern penalty area.

That's without even discussing the goal. It was a thumping, accurate strike of high quality. When you turn the screw, up the pressure and go in search of a goal, those are the kind of opportunities you dream of harvesting.

But it's not a given that you will take them when the stakes are high, particularly when that opening falls to a midfielder. Rice has so much technical ability, he was never fluffing his lines. It capped a top-level display on a night where Arsenal showcased character in abundance.

Gyokeres' velvet touch

Viktor Gyokeres' touch is usually something used as a stick to beat him with. Not this time.

The Swede deserves huge credit. At club level, there is no shying away from it: this has been a tough season to date. On the back of scoring in each of Sweden's four Nations League matches during the international break, there was a feeling that Gyokeres was poised to turn the corner.

His momentum was halted, however, by Mikel Arteta's trust in Kai Havertz. The German just hasn't been effective in recent matches, while Gyokeres has made two impressive contributions from the bench against Nottingham Forest and now, Bayern Munich.

His decisive and perfectly-weighted flick enabled Declan Rice to motor into the box and fire low beyond the outstretched arms of Manuel Neuer.

The goal was about Rice's desire, Rice's pinpoint and powerful finish but it was also about the 28-year-old centre-forward's selflessness and clearness of mind.

While pinning Jonathan Tah, he could have maybe gone alone or spun. He would have been daft to do so but his decision to feed Rice - plus the execution - was first-class.

One would argue that he is worthy of his first Premier League start of the season on Saturday against Everton as he is fresh and itching to contribute following a rough couple of months where his involvement has barely stretched beyond Arsenal's Champions League opener in Naples and the Carabao Cup.

Dowman hurt in warm-up

Max Dowman and Ben White have an admirable big-brother little-brother-like relationship. White likes to wind the teenager up, while the 16-year-old always comes back for more.

On the turf at the Allianz during the warm-up before the game, White was shielding the ball in a light-hearted battle with Dowman and accidentally stepped on the attacker's foot with his studs.

Dowman initially laughed but then began hopping around, indicating he was in genuine pain. He was of course fine to continue but given Arsenal's recent track record with injuries, it was not ideal.

Neither player was used from the bench and Dowman and White continued to laugh and joke as they went through their paces pre-match. Both will be needed in the forthcoming weeks.

Calafiori's robustness under magnifying glass

Nowadays, it feels like a rarity to see Riccardo Calafiori start consecutive matches. Myles Lewis-Skelly excelled from the off and created more chances than any other player in last week's 3-0 triumph over Lille.

But Calafiori was inevitably restored to the starting XI at Nottingham Forest and MLS was also on the bench last night at the Allianz Arena.

He got midfield minutes (22 plus stoppage time) but the Italian full-back has now completed back-to-back 90 minutes.

Calafiori is so important that at times, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal's medical team have tried to wrap him in cotton wool. It begs the question: will he be ready to start on Saturday against Everton?

He was rested for Italy during some of their Nations League fixtures, so he does not have as many minutes in the legs as some of Arsenal's other defenders.

However, with Piero Hincapie also pushing to return against the Toffees, there's a firm chance Calafiori could drop out. Arteta may yet decide he can play against Everton because he can definitely rest against League Two Fleetwood Town on Tuesday in the FA Cup before next Sunday's trip to Anfield.

Captain Salmon's redemption

Marli Salmon captained Arsenal U19s and scored in a pulsating 3-3 against Bayern Munich U19s in the UEFA Youth League at Bayern Campus on Wednesday afternoon.

While he was undoubtedly the biggest and best prospect within the Gunners squad, he initially struggled during an extremely physical first-half battle up against Bayern attackers Noah Codjo-Evora and Bastian Assomo.

Both were tall, strong and keen to stretch Arsenal's defence; plus, the wet conditions and zippy pitch seemed to cause Salmon and centre-back partner Elijah Upson, who suffered a hamstring injury, a few issues.

Salmon was booked for clattering Allen Lambe on 24 minutes and four minutes later he gave away a penalty after fouling midfielder Erblin Osmani. Replays suggest it was a tad soft.

Bayern duly converted the resulting spot-kick and suddenly, Arsenal's promising 1-0 lead had been flipped on its head.

Salmon still had some promising moments though. He put in a crunching challenge in the opening exchanges, made several blocks and showcased his technical quality in possession at times but with Mikel Arteta's assistant Albert Stuivenberg, he endured a tough opening 45 minutes.

Arsenal went in 3-1 down but the second half was a different story. The teenage centre-half stepped up to the plate, stood tall in the face of adversity and inspired a brilliant fightback.

He made it 3-2 with a cool finish on the back of a dead-ball before Emerson Nwaneri, Ethan's brother, came up trumps in stoppage time, smashing in the equaliser.

Salmon's ability to step into midfield, lead and command the backline and win aerial duels did not go unnoticed, either. While he might have been frustrated not to be involved with the senior team at the Allianz Arena, his Youth League appearance was incredibly valuable.

18-year-old Northern Irish attacker Ceadach O'Neill also impressed. It's understood Mikel Arteta is a fan of the attacker, who has trained with the first-team and was recently included on the bench against Lille.