Ivan Perisic climbed off the bench to smash in a superb late volley and cruelly deny Arsenal 3 points in Germany.Positives:
To hold a lead against the German champions, away from home, until the 89th minute, is no mean feat. We showed we have the quality to match most sides in Europe tonight, and at risk of sounding like Wenger, the 'mental strength' to play like champions and nab a goal against the run of play, before defending valiantly.
Mertesacker was a rock at the back, Song put in arguarbly his greatest ever shift in a red shirt, Szczesny continues to look as though he has between the sticks for a good 20 years, and Van Persie once again demonstrated why, when fit, he is one of the most lethal strikers in Europe.
Negatives:
With Wilshere, Diaby, Ramsey and Rosicky all missing, our midfield looked very lightweight and was pounced upon regularly by the brilliant Mario Gotze. Yossi Benayoun, though creative in attack, offers little defensively, and it was only when Arteta adopted a deeper role in the second half that our midfield looked a little firmer. Our ability to hold onto a lead is also something that continues to evade us following on from last season's various capitulations and this summer's Emirates Cup.
Conclusion:
Despite being dominated for large periods, our Champions League campaign is off to a solid start with a point in Dortmund. A fine Wojciech Szczesny save from Robert Lewandowski in injury time prevented us from finishing the match empty handed, but on a night when Arsene Wenger was forced to watch from the stands, you can't deny Borussia the point they deserved. A fair result all round.
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