Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Arsenal: Reaction

Arsenal have avenged their defeat two weeks ago by becoming the first English team to beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. In an a role reversal, Arsenal scored with their first shot, with Aaron Ramsey's close header in the 62nd minute beating Roman Weidenfeller. Arsenal were committed, and held their shape well, and limited Dortmund to only two or three chances, and in the end, held out rather comfortably. The result puts Arsenal top; and a win in the next matchday would almost certainly put them through.

Here's some thoughts:

• How good were Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny? They kept Robert Lewandowski at bay, and had 7 interceptions, 2 tackles and 13 clearances between them.
• Bacary Sagna was faultless as usual, and Kieran Gibbs, after a slow start, grew into the game.
• The midfield too was outstanding: Arteta, Cazorla, Ramsey and Rosicky were great at keeping the ball in the first half, and were great off the ball too: Rosicky made some of his usual tackles, which are great.
• This game is the reason why we bought Mesut Özil: He wasn't great, but he made a decisive impact, with a superb chip for Giroud to head on to Ramsey to score.
• Giroud, too, battled, and set up Ramsey twice: The second time, with a great cross field ball, put Ramsey in, only for his shot to be saved.
• The referee, by the way, was awful. Mikel Arteta shouldn't have been booked, and there were several questionable decisions
• Arsenal kept the ball well in the first half, but didn't create anything; in the second half, they couldn't hold the ball for the first 15 minutes before they scored. After that, they held onto the ball more and more, and created one or two opportunities. It was a welcome relief for the defence.
• AARON RAMSEY YOU GUYS