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Arsenal 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal fell victim to Dortmund at the Emirates on Tuesday courtesy of a late Robert Lewandowski goal, tasting defeat for the first time since August 17 in all competitions as Jurgen Klopp’s men pulled even with the Gunners on 6 points in the group of death alongside Napoli. Die Schwarzgelben struck early through Henrikh Mkhitarian to stun the home support only for Arsene Wenger’s team hit back via Olivier Giroud in the waning moments before half-time, but the Poland international settled the fixture with a well-placed volleyed effort less than 10 minutes from the final whistle to blow Group F wide open ahead of matchday four.
Key Stats:
Each side had the same number of attempts on goal in the 90 minutes with eight apiece, yet the Germans held the edge in chance creation having made eight key passes to Arsenal’s six.
Key Passes in Arsenal – Dortmund GameTerritorially Dortmund unquestionably had the better of the first-half but seemed more content to sit back and play on the counter as time wore on, the hosts finishing with the majority of the possession at 55% after seeing long spells on the ball down the stretch.
Both the Gunners and their rivals on the day posted uncharacteristically low pass completion averages, registering figures of 82% and 78% respectively, tallies that can be attributed to the up-tempo pressing tactics of the opposing managers.
Ultimately it was the visitors that were more successful at breaking up their adversaries’ forward moves in the formative and final stages, however, as Die Schwarzgelben racked up an astronomical 27 interceptions and 36 clearances to go along with 16 total tackles on the evening.
Man of the Match:
Mikel Arteta was the Man of the Match in this fixture, the Spaniard,won five tackle and completed 90% of his passes. Arteta held his own in midfield and his 90% pass accuracy is impressive, especially given the fact he was pressed and harried continuously throughout. Perhaps Arteta needed more support from his fellow midfielders, as he was often left engulfed by the number of Dortmund players surrounding him.
Mikel Arteta Passes v Dortmund (90% Pass Accuracy)Performance Score:
A tentative introductory quarter-hour from the Gunners saw them fall behind on Performance Score 32 to 24, and by the 20th minute Dortmund had gone flying out in front 96 to -41 on the back of Mkhitarian’s opener.
Wenger’s men remained resolved and steadily closed the gap in the remainder of the first half as they fought back with some incisive play of their own, finding themselves on top Performance Score-wise heading into the break after having equalised on Giroud’s opportunistic finish made possible by a deliciously dangerous cross from Bacary Sagna.
The momentum belonged to the Germans once more coming out of the dressing rooms but by 60 minutes Arsenal had become the primary aggressor, the London outfit getting the better of their rivals to lead 151 to 91 by the 80th minute.
Lewandowski’s goal late on shattered this paradigm as expected, however, sending Dortmund soaring back into the ascendancy as they held on in the final moments to close out the evening with a Performance Score of 151 to Arsenal’s 110.
Key Observations:
Dortmund’s holding midfield duo outperformed Arsenal’s at the Emirates, with the Gunners appearing to miss the influence of the injured Mathieu Flamini in halting opposition raids into the offensive third.
Sven Bender and Nuri Sahin made a combined 10 interceptions whilst counterparts Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta came away with just five between them, demonstrating the former pair’s superiority in closing off passing lanes and limiting the effectiveness of attackers.
Nuri Sahin Interceptions v ArsenalMesut Ozil was a particularly high-profile casualty as a result as he finished with a Performance Score of -11, often finding himself isolated under pressure and completing 82% of his passes in putting on a display well below his usual lofty standards.
Meanwhile Kevin Grosskreutz, who provided the assist for Lewardowski’s 82nd minute winner, did well to exploit the space available to him constantly out on the right, even as Dortmund adopted a more measured approach in the second half, and eventually proved decisive when his sumptuous cross landed perfectly on the Pole’s foot to cap off a clinical counter from Klopp’s side.
Kevin Großkreutz Heat Map v Arsenal
