Arsenal’s Champions League fate will be decided in Munich after they shared an entertaining and controversial 2-2 draw with Bayern at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
Saka gave the Premier League leaders an early lead with a crisp finish but Serge Gnabry’s goal and Harry Kane’s penalty turned the quarter-final tie on its head.
Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard earned the hosts a draw following smart footwork from fellow substitute Gabriel Jesus but the Gunners thought they should have been given the chance to score a late winner from the penalty spot.
In the dying seconds of injury-time, Saka raced through on goal and took the ball around Manuel Neuer before going down following contact from the Germany legend.
Several Arsenal players were stunned that a penalty was not awarded but Gunners legend Wright believes referee Glenn Nyberg made the correct decision as Saka ‘initiated the contact’.
‘I don’t think it’s a penalty,’ he said on the Wrighty’s House podcast. ‘Whatever angle you see, Saka’s gone in and moved the ball with his left foot.
‘At that point you should be moving to your left but for some reason his leg actually went out to the right. This is why it felt very strange for him to be fouled in that manner.
‘He shouldn’t be anywhere near Neuer, his right leg shouldn’t be there, it should be coming across to the left-hand side to tap the ball into the net. If he gets past him and stands on his feet, then he gets the tap-in.
‘I thought it was strange that his body was moving the other way. It seems to me that his body is moving that way because that’s where the goalkeeper is and he’s trying to initiate the contact.
‘I’m sorry, that’s how I see it. I’m just confused because the ball has gone to the left and Neuer has stopped so Saka doesn’t have to avoid him.
‘If we’re going to be honest about it – and I’m going to be honest – I wanted it to be a penalty more than anything else. But if the ball is going that way I don’t know why he’s going the other.’
Wright also believes Saka could have targeted Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies more after he received an early yellow card in the Champions League clash.
‘I wouldn’t expect anything less from our manager [Mikel Arteta] in respects of the positivity [in his post-match interview],’ Wright added.
‘But he will probably look at that game and think about our guy – Saka, the star boy – because Alphonso Davies was booked, he was on a yellow so I’m thinking, he’s got to go at him a bit more, go at him.’
There was more penalty drama at the Emirates Stadium with Bayern feeling aggrieved they were not awarded a spot-kick when Gabriel picked up the ball with his hands after the referee had signalled for a goal-kick to be taken.
Addressing the incident, Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel said: ‘The referee did not have the courage today to give us a deserved penalty, in a bit of a crazy and awkward situation.
‘What makes us really angry is the explanation on the field. He told our players that it’s a kid’s mistake and he will not give a penalty like this in a quarter-final.’
Premier League leaders Arsenal will travel to Germany next Wednesday for the second and crucial leg of their quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
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