Kompany Explains Why Harry Kane Is So Difficult to Defend After Arsenal Draw

Vincent Kompany says Harry Kane's smart movement is what makes Bayern Munich so hard to defend, after the 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League in Munich.

"He just has a good sense of when to drop back and move into different areas," Kompany told reporters. "I think Arsenal did something similar with their forwards today. That makes it extremely difficult for the defenders, of course, because they can't mark a specific opponent. When the centre-backs step out and Harry has a little time on the ball, he can showcase his tremendous ability with long, precise passes. That allows us to get behind the defence and create dangerous chances."

Kane showed exactly that on the night. He split the Arsenal backline with a pinpoint pass for Alphonso Davies to finish, and he later put Bayern in front from the penalty spot.

Kompany felt his side had the better of the big chances. "Arsenal pressed as intensely as we did. In these phases we were dangerous. We didn't always find the right moment to get into the final third, but I think we probably put ourselves in those positions a bit more than Arsenal. In those moment we threaten - two or three chances when we had the numbers advantage. But this was a top opponent and I wouldn't say it was total dominance because Arsenal had phases when they were better. Perhaps a fair result, even if we had more big chances."

The Bayern boss, speaking to DAZN, admitted the late equaliser was a painful one. "We're in a phase with so many games right now, you just have to move on to the next game quickly. We faced a strong opponent, we felt it, we saw it. I think we had our moments. A few big chances that I didn't think we'd get. A bit of a shame, because the last ten to 15 minutes we suffered. It took a bit of our momentum. We still had the feeling we could win the game, maybe had too. But this is a strong opponent and the game was never over. In that moment, the equaliser is a shame."

Arsenal got their goal through Declan Rice, who swapped passes with substitute Viktor Gyokeres and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner. The Gunners then pushed for a winner, and Jurrien Timber forced Manuel Neuer into an acrobatic save before full-time.

It was a costly night for Arsenal in other ways too. Bukayo Saka limped off with a suspected thigh problem after just 10 minutes, when he tried to play a pass with no one around him. His replacement, Eberechi Eze, scored the opener in the 35th minute from an excellent Martin Odegaard pass, after the VAR stepped in to overturn an offside flag.

Bayern were behind for only 10 minutes before Kane set up Davies. Kane's penalty came after his shot struck Timber's hand inside the area, and he sent David Raya the wrong way from 12 yards.