'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arsenal, winless since November 1st , hosted German club Borussia Dortmund on match day 5 of the Champions League in a Group D encounter. Arsenal needed a point to qualify for the knockout stages, but they did it in style.Goals from Yaya Sanogo and Alexis Sanchez were enough for Arsenal to claim a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates. With this victory, the Gunners have secure their passage into the round of 16 for the 15th season in a row.Here are the 5 talking points from the game:
#1 Perfect tonic for the Gunners
After a disappointing performance against Manchester United on Saturday, the last thing Wenger would have wanted was another defeat. Although the Gunners passage into the last 16 was never really in doubt, they really needed a positive result against Dortmund to uplift the morale at the Emirates. And that was exactly what they got. Not only did they win, but more importantly kept a clean sheet as well. The result now means that the Gunners now stand a chance to top the group.
#2 Dortmund\'s domestic form carrying on into Europe
Although Dortmund are 14th in the League and just two points from bottom, their problem has been an inability to convert possession into points. In the Champions League though, they have been scoring goals for fun and conceded just once and won all of their games. The worry for Jurgen Klopp was whether their league form would start to tell in Europe and against the Gunners those fears were realised.
Although the visitors enjoyed most of the possession, they were unable to create too many clear cut chances. While the fact that they had already qualified might have something to do with their performance, it certainly is a concern for Klopp, going forward.
#3 Sanogo shows strength of the Gunners\' strike force
With Danny Welbeck out injured, there was a concern that the Gunners might struggle even more for goals up front. But Yaya Sanogo justified Arsene Wenger’s faith in him, by scoring the opener and putting in a performance that showed exactly why the Frenchman is held in high regard by his manager. The striker's first goal for the club in his eighth start gave the home side the perfect start and showed his composure in front of goal early on.
As the game went on, the 21-year-old gave the Gunners an outlet up front and although he was unable to hold onto the ball at times, he certainly showed plenty of promise. So it was a shame that he went off injured, but the return of Olivier Giroud means that the home side might be alright up front after all.
#4 Contrasting start to both halves
Just like they did against Manchester United, the home side started on the front foot. But unlike the game on Saturday, the Gunners got a goal to show for their efforts and could have even scored a couple more in the opening quarter of the game. But as the game went on the visitors started to assert themselves.
The second half saw Dortmund repeat Arsenal's start to the game but were unable to get the goal that would have levelled the score. Instead, the home side got another and from then onwards it was always going to be an uphill task for the visitors. In the end, even the substitutions and injuries to Arteta and Sanogo didn't make much of a difference as the home side saw the game out.
#5 Arsenal finally learn from their mistakes
After the game, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain said that his side "got the balance right" against Dortmund and the Englishman perfectly summarised the home side's performance. Going forward and scoring goals hasn't really been an issue for the Gunners, but far too often this season, they have committed too many men forward and got caught out on the break.
After taking a 2-0 lead, the Gunners did what they should've done all along, sit back and hit the opposition on the counter. An injury to Mikel Arteta meant that a more defensive minded Mathieu Flamini came on just after the hour mark and that certainly helped their cause. But what was most impressive about their performance was their pressing, which even in stoppage time was evident and that ensured that the visitors never had too many options going forward.
