Arsenal escape Dortmund with only a 2-0 defeat

Mesut Ozil was disappointing...not for the first time

I know it was on Tuesday but it has taken our Arsenal fan loving writer quite a while to get over that performance. I'm not she will be saying too much positive in this match report.

A spellbinding performance from Borussia Dortmund blew Arsenal out of the Signal Iduna Park as the Germans ran out 2-0 victors.

From the very first kick of the game it was all Dortmund, who bossed the midfield encounters with relative ease.

They could have taken the lead after just 14 minutes. A corner was not dealt with by Arsenal and the ball fell at the feet of Sokratis Papastathopoulos. The centre-back, a summer target for the Gunners, took a touch to set himself but his right-footed effort from eight yards went the wrong side of the post.

An intricate passing move in the 27th minute carved Arsenal open with ease. Eric Durm carried the ball before giving it to Kevin Grosskreutz, who in turn played a good first time cross for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabon international, who was one of the standout players, shot on sight but Wojciech Szczesny made a good instinctive save to keep the effort out.

Two minutes later and Dortmund had an even better chance to score. Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrived in the box as Szczesny parried Ciro Immobile's first time cross, but he blazed his first-time effort over the bar after coming under considerable pressure from Jack Wilshere.

Alexis Sanchez, who was a yard off the pace, was easily dispossessed by Sebastian Kehl in the 34th minute. The midfielder advanced with the ball before feeding Aubameyang in the box, but his first-time shot lacked the required power to beat Szczesny at his near post.

The 41st minute saw Arsenal create their first chance. Aaron Ramsey slotted in Danny Welbeck but his shot went a yard wide.

Consistent pressure paid off as Dortmund took the lead on the stroke of half-time. Immobile gathered the ball on the half-way line and ran head-on at the depleted Arsenal defence, who, if anything, seemed to get out of his way. Once he arrived at the 18-yard box, he lashed a fierce right-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner.

Half-time came and went but if Gunners' fans thought they were going to see a fight back, they were wrong. The 48th minute saw Aubameyang put the game to bed. He played a nice give and go with Grosskreutz that split the Arsenal centre-back pairing too easily, before nodding the ball past Szczesny with his head.

It would have been three in the 57th minute if it wasn't for the bar. Aubameyang, playing with the freedom that confidence allows, hit a shot from 25 yards. It beat Szczesny with ease but it couldn't beat the bar.

Szczesny, who was Arsenal's only real player of note, was nearly left with egg on his face in the 71st minute. The Pole opted to control Kieran Gibbs' pass back when a clearance was by far the more logical choice. Aubameyang nicked the ball off him but a slip allowed Szczesny to make a fortuitous recovery.

The scoreline was a flattering one for Arsenal, who were second best from start to finish. Had players such as Mkhitaryan been a bit more clinical in front of goal, it could have easily been five or six.

Once again, the lack of a combative midfielder for Arsenal plagued them; Sven Bender and Sebastian Kehl dictated the play with much aplomb.

In fact, if you were watching Arsenal for the first time, you wouldn't have guessed that Hector Bellerin, who made his first ever start for the club, was the most inexperienced player on the pitch.