Now, that was some victory! Bayern haved looked the best team in the world for weeks and, truth be told, for large parts of the match against us as well. However a touch of class with a little help from Lady Fortune gave Arsenal the edge over the Bavarian giants.
Here are the key points from an emphatic night at Emirates.
1.Petr Čech is the best goalkeeper in the world.
Yes, it may sound a bit exaggerated but…have you seen his stats? He has played eleven competitive games for Arsenal so far and has already kept a clean sheet on seven occasions (via transfermarkt.de). Seven out of eleven! His saves against Bayern were incredible as the German giants looked powerless in front of our goal. At the beginning of the second half, Robert Lewandowski sent a projectile that would have gone past any other goalkeeper in the world but Čech managed to tip it over the bar. It wasn’t just Čech’s saves, it was his calmness and experience that made our whole defence looking unbreakable.
2.Hector Bellerin is most likely an extra-terrestrial.
I refuse to believe that there is a 20-year-old man from Earth who can make a bursting run in the 93rd minute of the game like Hector Bellerin did last night. It’s simply impossible.
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Then again, we have seen it a lot of times already. His run to win a corner was also quite impressive. We have the best right full-back in the world at present. I will repeat what I’ve already written – it’s like watching a right full-back version of Cesc Fabregas, except this one doesn’t moan about Barcelona DNA.
That being said, what if he doesn’t moan about Barcelona DNA because he is a Martian?!
3.Nacho Monreal was a silent hero once again.
Everyone will talk about Manuel Neuer’s save of Theo Walcott’s header but only a few will remember to praise Nacho Monreal for that cross that gave Theo a chance to give us the lead. He did a great job in defence too – he made six clearances, three blocks and one interception (via squawka.com).
4.The central defenders gave a heroic performance.
Per Mertesacker’s pace is something all Gooners have been worried about ever since he signed for Arsenal. However, his qualities such as his organizational skills, commanding presence and aerial prowess come handy when we play a deep back-line. He did his job well.
Laurent Koscielny made a great tackle to deny Lewandowski in injury-time. The Pole had made a superb dribbling and was preparing to pull the trigger when Koscielny cleared the danger. Simply brilliant.
5.Francis Coquelin came close to his first goal for Arsenal.
When Mesut Özil’s reverse pass from the left wing found someone outside the Bayern box, nobody expected to see Francis Coquelin taking a shot at goal. His shot went wide, Manuel Neuer didn’t even bother to try to stop it. But it wasn’t that bad. A few inches left and it could have been a stunning first goal for the French world-class defensive midfielder.
6.Mesut Özil showed some defensive talent too.
It took a while but we have been enjoying Özil’s performances this season. He scored a huge goal tonight, the one that put the game to bed and gave us a nice advantage over Bayern in case we magically end the group stage level on points with the Germans.
Given that we didn’t have too much of the possession, Özil had to be rational with the ball and focused when defending. That’s why we saw Mesut making the same number of interceptions and created chances (3) but it happened tonight (via squawka.com).
7.Alexis Sánchez didn’t make the best of performances but…
Yes, Alexis opened two dangerous counter-attacks for Bayern with sloppy passing in a dangerous area. However, it was Alexis who was our driving force in the first half. He made four successful take ons (via squawka.com) and never stopped working. He didn’t score but we can always count on a goal or two against Everton!
8.Olivier Giroud has done it again to Bayern.
Olivier Giroud scored our lucky opener after Santi Cazorla’s cross. It wasn’t the first time Giroud has scored an opener in a victory over Bayern. He did after all score our first goal in Munich two-and-half years ago as well. Perhaps he wants to prove Bayern they made a mistake when they picked Mandžukić and not him in 2012 (via independent.co.uk). Either way, it was a great goal for Giroud who has scored four out of his five goals this season after coming on from the bench (via transfermarkt.co.uk).
9.Aaron Ramsey’s injury is a huge blow.
Aaron Ramsey’s hamstring problem will probably deprive us of our Welsh dynamo for at least three weeks. That means we’ll have to go through some difficult games without him. Our squad has been thin for a while due to injuries, especially in the midfield where we have Rosicky and Wilshere on the sidelines, so Ramsey’s injury comes as a huge blow to our team. Get well soon Aaron!
10.Douglas Costa is a hell of a player.
The Brazilian was correctly named in our preview before the game as Bayern’s most dangerous man. His football is a joy to watch if you are neutral and a real test of your nerves if he plays against your team. A brilliant purchase for Bayern.
Our next game: Everton at home. If we beat the visitors, we will be top of the league for at least twenty hours.
So, let’s do that!
COYG!
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