Forget Ramsey and Ozil: Tomas Rosicky was the real star vs Dortmund

Aaron Ramsey may have stolen the headlines after Arsenal’s smash and grab victory against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night but it was Tomas Rosicky who ran the show for Arsenal.

Ramsey’s header earned the visitors a 1-0 victory at the Signal Iduna Park against the run of play, but Rosicky’s tireless work that stood out most of all.

The Czech Republic star has been in excellent form of late, providing balance and energy on the right-wing in place of the injured Theo Walcott and Serge Gnabry.

A stellar performance against Liverpool at the weekend was quickly followed by another against his former employers, having played for the Bundesliga giants before being sold to the Gunners in 2006.

Up against one of the best attacking line-ups in world football, Wenger needed a solid defensive showing from his players and Rosicky provided that in spades.

The 33-year-old covered every blade of grass, snapping at the heels of Dortmund’s much vaunted stars and gave his all for the Gunners cause.

A crunching tackle on Polish striker Robert Lewandowski summed up his display, leaving Arsenal fans to wonder what could have been if not for his injury woes.

Rosicky also played an important tactical part in Wenger’s plan, drifting inside to a more central role and clogging up the midfield area, preventing Dortmund from playing their usual game.

The midfielder also linked up well with right-back Bacary Sagna, effectively preventing the advances of Marco Reus down the right flank and forcing the German inside into a congested midfield, creating a bottleneck.

The statistics highlight the important role Rosicky played, with a 100% tackle success from two tackles and four interceptions marking his defensive contribution.

It was also vital that he could keep the ball in tandem with Arsenal’s forwards, to prevent Dortmund from controlling the game, and he did so superbly with a 80% pass completion rate.

In short, it was the perfect performance and exactly what Wenger will have demanded from his midfielder, helping Arsenal to a remarkable victory against the odds.

Wednesday evening was one of those nights that will go down in Arsenal folklore, and years from now, people will remember Rosicky’s role in a famous win.