Paul Merson accuses Arsenal star of ‘falling asleep’ for Bayern Munich equaliser

Paul Merson accuses Arsenal star of ‘falling asleep’ for Bayern Munich equaliser Tom Olver Published November 26, 2025 8:53pm Updated November 26, 2025 9:24pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments Lennart Karl cancelled out Jurrien Timber’s opener for Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

Paul Merson pointed the finger of blame at Myles Lewis-Skelly after Lennart Karl’s stunning equaliser for Bayern Munich, accusing the Arsenal left-back of ‘falling asleep’ in the immediate build-up.

Bayern enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the opening exchanges but it was the Gunners that landed the first blow, with Jurrien Timber rising the highest to head Bukayo Saka’s 22nd-minute corner beyond Manuel Neuer.

However, the visitors – who Arsenal have failed to beat in over a decade – picked themselves up and responded just ten minutes later through 17-year-old attacker Karl, who finished off a slick 24-pass team move to make it all square.

The highly rated teenager became the youngest player in the history of the Champions League to score in his first two appearances in the competitions with the goal.

Remarkably, Harry Kane was the only Bayern player not to touch the ball before Serge Gnabry found Karl for the exquisite equaliser, which leaves the group-stage tie finely poised heading into the second period.

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‘Lewis-Skelly falls asleep. It’s a diagonal ball over to Gnabry but he falls asleep Lewis-Skelly, it goes over his head,’ ex-Arsenal and England midfielder Merson said on Sky Sports.

‘But what a goal, honestly!

Lewis-Skelly ‘fell asleep’ for Karl’s leveller, said Merson (Picture: Sky Sports) Karl is the youngster player to score in his first two Champions League games (Picture: Getty)

‘It goes over the top of Lewis-Skelly, Gnabry made a great run and he just plays a volley across the goal and there’s Karl who comes running in and smashes it in the net.

‘It’s a phenomenal goal, a brilliant goal. Karl scores out of nothing. That’s what they’ve scored in their last 775 games!’

TNT Sports’ pundits Owen Hargreaves and Martin Keown were less critical of Arsenal’s defending and instead highlighted the ‘chaos’ Kane caused with his intelligent off-the-ball movement.

Timber had earlier opened the scoring for hosts Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

‘You can can talk about Lennart Karl, and he is exceptional, but look at Harry Kane, he’s the one causing chaos,’ former Bayern and England midfielder Hargreaves said while watching back replays of the strike at the half-time break.

‘He drops a little bit deeper, Gnabry gets wide and it’s a brilliant first-time pass and set.

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‘But look where Harry Kane is there… it gives William Saliba something to think about. He’s thinking, “Do I go in there?”, but, actually, if he’d stayed in his position he’d probably have stopped the cross.

‘Credit to Gnabry for the cross, it’s amazing, and the finish from young Karl is brilliant. But Harry dropping deep has caused chaos.’

Ex-Arsenal defender Keown agreed with Hargreaves’ assessment of the goal, chiming in: ‘I think you’re right because Saliba would then have been back, just to cover around a little bit.

‘There’s 24 passes for that goal and Harry Kane doesn’t touch it, but he has an affect on the goal.’

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