Match Report: Five Observations From Arsenal's Win Over Bayern

All goalkeepers make mistakes 

One of the main topics ahead of Arsenal’s welcome of Bayern was the return of Petr Cech after Arsene Wenger had opted to field David Ospina against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos with calamitous results. While the change of tack was enforced as the Colombian sat out through injury, it is one the manager would no doubt have taken regardless after Ospina's showings in Europe thus far, with a WhoScored.com rating of 5.46 the lowest of all players to feature at least twice in this season's Champions League. 

That Cech came in and played a decisive win in such a crucial game was of course a real positive for the Gunners, but only exaggerated the mistake Wenger had made in resting his number one in the tournament up to now. The 33-year old produced 6 smart saves, denying Robert Lewandowski the chance to open the scoring in the second half when the Pole looked certain to extend his fine form in front of goal. A WhoScored.com rating of 8.09 was the third best on show, while his opposite number had a far more inconsistent evening. 

Widely regarded as the best in the world in his position, Manuel Neuer showed just why at times at the Emirates, with a first half stop from Theo Walcott particularly remarkable. He, like Cech, also produced 6 saves, but had a couple of hairy moments, in the first half emulating Simon Mignolet at his lowest ebb by passing the ball out for an Arsenal corner and making a decisive error to come for the cross that Olivier Giroud eventually bundled home. The shock of such a hideous error even seemingly caused the screens at the Emirates to malfunction! While Cech was faultless at the other end and has taken all the plaudits, it's only a matter of months since he committed a very similar mistake on his league debut for Arsenal, proving that even the best goalkeepers are not invincible. 

Özil has gone full circle 

Sealing the victory in injury time with a strike that was, despite Neuer's best efforts, eventually deemed to have crossed the line, it was a memorable night for Mesut Özil. Facing a number of his international teammates, the German put the disappointment of two years ago behind him having endured a tough time of things against Bayern in his first season at Arsenal. 

At a time when Özil was being criticised for a lack of defensive responsibility, he stepped up to see an early penalty saved by Neuer the last time these two sides met after Arsenal had made an excellent start to the first leg of their round of 16 meeting with Bayern. The Gunners ended up falling to a 2-0 defeat once Wojciech Szczesny had seen red and in the reverse fixture the playmaker was forced off at half time with a hamstring problem, securing a WhoScored rating of just 6.10 over the two legs of such a high-profile tie. 

Özil has had his doubters that have questioned whether he has been consistent enough in the capital against the big teams, but Tuesday's performance - securing a WhoScored rating of 8.14 - proved just how far the playmaker has come at the club. Beginning to show his true class on a regular basis - scoring twice and registering 4 assists in his last 5 appearances for Arsenal - Özil has well and truly silenced his critics. 

Bellerin vs Costa - how both players came out on top 

One of the most intriguing battles of the night was also likely to be played out on the visitors left flank. Douglas Costa, who has enjoyed a sensational start to life in Munich, looked set to pose young Hector Bellerin one of his toughest tests yet. In that sense the Brazilian didn't disappoint. He was at his mercurial best in the first half, bamboozling the full-back with some ludicrous skill to provide Bayern's greatest threat before the break - reflected by the fact that no outfielder had a higher WhoScored rating than Costa (7.05) at the interval after completing 6 first half dribbles. 

Bellerin could have crumbled under the pressure having been beaten by the Brazil international on numerous occasions in the first half, but actually stepped up to ensure that there was no repeat in the second half. Guardiola even switched Costa at times to the right flank in the second half to see if he could get more change out of Monreal - to little effect - and by the end of the match it was the 20-year old that was having a telling impact on the break. Bellerin's rating jumped from 6.36 at half-time to 7.83 by the game's conclusion, registering the assist for Özil's late strike and relieving some periods of relentless Bayern pressure. 

Post-match, Wenger was full of praise for the Spaniard, stating how impressed he was that "Hector (Bellerin) got on top of his opponent at the end of the game." The result will indicate that the Arsenal man eventually got the better of the battle with Costa, but in reality both came out of the game with great credit, playing a key role in a memorable match. 

Both Walcott and Giroud are great options 

Much has been made of whether Arsenal have a striker capable of firing them to glory over the coming seasons and while that will continue to be debated, the options of Walcott and Giroud combined could yet be the answer. The Englishman again got the nod in the starting XI and rightly so given the threat he carried in the first half. Walcott had 5 shots in the opening period alone and while his safety first approach to finishing never looked like troubling Neuer too much, he gave Bayern's backline something to think about, crucially ensuring that they had used up some of their reserves of energy ahead of the latter stages. 

As Arsenal sat deeper in the second half, Walcott's influence understandably waned, which is where the option of Giroud has proven so helpful to Wenger. While both players allow the Gunners to play the longer pass, with Walcott looking to run in behind and the Frenchman able to hold up play, Giroud poses very different problems for his opponents. His goal was far from a thing of beauty, but the 29-year-old had another decent chance and brought teammates into play well upon his introduction. 

There's no question that the approach of starting Walcott, tiring out opposition defenders, and bring on Giroud late on is working. The latter has scored in 4 of his last 6 appearances from the bench for Arsenal. Keeping him content with playing such a restricted role will be a tough task - in a post-match interview with the Frenchman, it would have been tough to tell if Arsenal had won or lost the game - but at present doing so could be crucial.  

How struggling Oxlade-Chamberlain must step up 

If there was one negative from the night it was the hamstring injury suffered by Aaron Ramsey, who offers an industry in the side that encourages others to replicate. The Welshman was not a standout performer on the night, but will be missed, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain likely to be tasked with filling Ramsey's boots. 

It's been a frustrating season for the young Englishman so far, with a number of defensive errors proving costly already and he, unlike Ramsey in that regard, is not entirely reliable. The 22-year-old hasn't looked himself for the club this season having looked likely to really make his mark this time round after netting the winner in the Community Shield.  

Things have taken a downward turn since and even on the night; Oxlade-Chamberlain was unconvincing. He gave away a really poor throw-in deep in his own half with a careless pass and had his blushes spared after bouncing the rebound of the goal - eventually awarded to Özil - over the bar. Neither moment had any bearing on the game, but there is no doubt Oxlade-Chamberlain will need to raise his game to effectively replace Aaron Ramsey if the Wales international is set for a spell on the sidelines.

How will Bayern respond following defeat to Arsenal when the two teams meet at the Allianz Arena next month? Let us know in the comments below