TNT Sports pundit Martin Keown said Bukayo Saka “wasn’t really himself” after Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Porto in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

The Gunners looked set to welcome the Portuguese side to the Emirates with the score poised at 0-0 until Wenderson Galeno scored a stunning goal from outside the box in the 94th minute.

Following the England star’s inability to make an impression on the first leg of Arsenal’s away match against Porto in the UEFA Champions League last-16, Martin Keown declared that Bukayo Saka “wasn’t really himself.”

The Gunners were beaten by a 94th minute stunner from Wenderson Galeno as the Portuguese outfit clinched a 1-0 victory.

Mikel Arteta’s side enjoyed plenty of possession at the Estadio do Dragao but failed to register a single shot on target as their attack, typically so devastating, failed to find a route through the hosts’ resolute resistance.

“They were [wasteful],” Keown said on TNT Sports.

“It seems as if they don’t start the game full on and with that confidence it affects them then in the second half and that’s what certainly happened today.

“Saka wasn’t really himself, they didn’t get as many touches and when they did it broke down too many times.”

Porto’s compact shape limited the chances Arsenal were able to create through the middle, forcing them to go down the flanks and rely on set-pieces and crosses, something Keown added is at odds with Saka’s style of play.

“It’s not something he does that often, slinging it in, he usually cuts inside and you expect more,” Keown continued.

“You’ve grown so used to seeing these guys [create chances]. But Saka was giving the ball away and that’s just not him.”

Arsenal entered the match with a winning record, having netted 21 goals in five successive games to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to five points with one game remaining.

However, Keown emphasized that this will have been a wake-up call for the English club ahead of the crucial second leg at the Emirates. The UEFA Champions League comes with a different type of pressure.

“It was a harsh lesson for Arteta and his team and he talked about attacking better and showing more aggression and they’re quick learners,” Keown added.

“They are young in this competition as manager and as players and I think they’ll learn quickly and do much better in the return leg.

“They can’t play this badly again. It was a professional performance because the defence really did a good job until the goal and there are question marks. Was the keeper a bit too low? Could Declan Rice have gone a bit higher, could he have pressed a little bit?

“I think there was a little bit of fatigue there but there’s still plenty to go in this tie yet.”