Last night was unforgettable for Harry Kane, but it could easily have been forgotten.
Kane made a triumphant return to north London, converting a penalty to help Bayern Munich to a draw that likely makes the club favourites for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Germany next week.
During his time at Tottenham, Kane was often Arsenal’s tormentor and he proved that again when he took his goal tally against the Gunners to 15.
His ice-cold penalty was also his sixth goal at the Emirates Stadium, one more than any other visiting player before.
The England captain was in a joyful mood at the end, laughing as Arsenal fans jeered at him while he was giving a television interview on the sidelines.
But Kane may be lucky not to have been sent off and banned for the return leg after elbowing Gabriel in the second half.
The Bayern striker described the incident afterwards as “50-50” and said he was “surprised it was a yellow card”, but the look he gave Gabriel before catching him did not look good.
Referee Glenn Nyberg cautioned Kane, but it could easily have been a red card.
That niggle aside, it was an impressive performance from Kane and a reminder to those who don’t see him every week just how dangerous he is. He is now the Champions League’s top scorer this season with seven goals and his three assists mean no other player has been directly involved in more goals.
This Bayern team is perfectly set up for Kane, who is surrounded by fast and willing runners
Watching Kane last night, this is no surprise as he was instrumental in many of Bayern’s best moves.
In typical fashion, he dropped back at times to get the ball, creating space for wingers Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry to exploit.
This Bayern side is perfectly set up for Kane, who is surrounded by quick and willing runners trying to get to his through balls. That’s what made the partnership between Kane and Heung-min Son so dangerous at Spurs, but at Bayern he has even more options.
When the draw was announced, Arsenal fans joked that Kane was bound to score – and that it would be a penalty.
Before last night, seven of his 14 goals against the Gunners had been penalties, so it was safe to assume that he would score another one.
Perhaps he knew this too, and he said that after studying David Raya, it led him to change his technique, abandoning power in favor of finesse.
