MOTD: Arsenal 2-0 Borussia Dortmund

By on November 26, 2014

Arsenal looked in form today, to put it simply. At times, they played the football that Arsene Wenger is trying to achieve – particularly in the second half they created chance after chance and could have easily won by more. Moreover, it was an important result against one of the best sides in Europe. It really was a good result and performance from the Gunners. However, it carries an underlying feeling of disappointment at the same time. It was such a great, and necessary win, but it only gave them the bare minimum of success – qualifying to the Champions League knockout stages for the fifteenth consecutive year. But it is unlikely they will top their group ahead of Borussia Dortmund with just one group stage match left to play, and honestly, nobody is expecting Arsenal to win the thing. Their expectations will probably be, at best, a Quarterfinal exit, and, as illustrated today, they almost make meeting those expectations seem an achievement by making it hard for themselves to do so. Last time out, they held Anderlecht up 3-0 with only a half hour left, yet surrendered the chance to all but seal qualification heading into a tough fixture against Dortmund, and the match finished 3-3. Nonetheless, today will feel like Arsenal overachieved.

Yet, of course, they did play well. Just three minutes in Yaya Sanogo combined with Santi Cazorla before poking the ball home once receiving a neat through ball from the Spaniard. Wenger’s side was on top, and though Dortmund grew into the game their only big chance was saved by the leg of Emiliano Martinez. Arsenal began to compound their pressure, and after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hit the crossbar with a dipping outside foot volley from the edge of the box, Alexis Sanchez gave them the lead. Again it was Cazorla who provided the assist (it was one of his best performances of the season), though the goal was all Sanchez’s doing, having received the ball twenty-five yards out, cut inside from the left, and curling a brilliant effort around the goalkeeper into the far corner.

It really was a good performance from Arsenal, but furthermore hampered by multiple injuries; Mikel Arteta was taken off due to injury and it seemed as if Cazorla’s substitution was due to a little tweak. Of the back of a weekend in which they lost Jack Wilshere for reportedly up to three months, those will be unwelcome.
Man of the Match: Santi Cazorla

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.