1. Wenger’s gamble paid off
If Arsenal had lost this game, knives would have been out for Arsene Wenger and his so called “arrogance”. The Gunners boss did not have Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud but he still had a couple of options for the centre-forward position.
Alexis Sanchez, Lukas Podolski or Joel Campbell could have led the attack, but Wenger insisted on giving Yaya Sanogo another chance. Sanogo had never scored in his 18 months since joining Arsenal but he delivered inside 73 seconds of this game.
The French striker later faded but his early goal was crucial for the whole Arsenal side that was under immense pressure at the start of this game.
2. Klopp’s tactics didn’t work this time
In the reverse fixture, Jurgen Klopp successfully exposed Arsenal’s vulnerability to counter-attacks with a 4-4-2 formation. Borussia Dortmund’s manager must have expected an even better result in this game as Arsenal tend to commit more players forward in home matches.
But there was an unpleasant surprise though for Dortmund’s manager as his side were too slow to find any rhythm, while Ciro Immobile and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were ineffective as a centre forward pair.
Arsenal’s full-backs Calum Chambers and Kieran Gibbs deserve a lot of credit for Arsenal’s clean sheet as well, because they quickly recovered to tuck in to the side of Per Mertesacker and Nacho Monreal during Dortmund’s transitional plays.
3. Arsenal’s second goal proves their critics right
Among other things, Arsenal have been criticised for their gung-ho approach in games and even Wenger had to admit his displeasure when they left virtually no one at the back before Manchester United scored their winning goal on Saturday evening.
Sanchez’s goal in this game proves that Arsenal can still be effective without over-committing players forward when they attack as they have enough pace and quality to hurt opponents during quick change-overs.
4. Klopp’s theory worked against him
In the build-up to this game, Klopp tried to emphasise that they needed to win again in the Champions League to transfer their form in Europe to the Bundesliga because success in one competition can easily be transferred to the other competitions.
His side, who are currently just two points off the bottom of the Bundesliga, clearly proved that form is transferable as they clearly lacked confidence in possession and they were less aggressive with their pressing.
5. The Gunners will have to give their all in Istanbul
Dortmund are still favourites to win Group D but this win give Arsenal a chance to top the group if all the results go their way on matchday 6. Arsenal will have a tougher task as they head to Istanbul for Galatasaray while Dortmund will be at home against Anderlecht.
Given Arsenal’s round of 16 headache in recent years after finishing second and drawing powerful opponents, the Gunners will have to treat their trip to Galatasaray very seriously just in case Dortmund slip up.
