Arsenal 2 - 0 Bayern Munich: Five Talking Points

The team from north London managed to pull off the upset of the night when they beat the reigning German champions 2-0 at the Emirates in a Champions League group stage clash. Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil were on target for Gunners in their unexpected victory.Coming into the game with two losses in the first two group games, things weren’t looking any good for an Arsenal team facing a must-win game of sorts against a rampaging Bayern side so as to stay alive in the tournament.They did manage to do it though, and the group has been thrown wide open again. This win also means that Arsenal have ended Bayern’s 12-match winning streak coming into the game.Bayern dominated most of the first half, both in terms of possession and the number of threats on goal. Douglas Costa and Thiago were at their individual best but couldn’t make much for the team. Arsenal was the more dominant team in the second half, and two goals late in the game from Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil sealed the game for the Londoners.Here are the major talking points from the game.

#1 Arsenal can match the best in Europe

Arsenal might have had a disastrous start to their Champions League campaign, but they showed why they are not to be written off that easily. Defeating arguably the best team in Europe currently in a game of such importance is not an easy task and they managed to pull it off quite comfortably.

This win gives them a breather and a lifeline to stay alive in the race for the knockout stages. Just a month or so ago, things were not looking good for the Gunners, losing to Chelsea in the league after a Champions League loss to Dinamo Zagreb.

They have turned it around since then and have been in great form in the league, steamrolling the likes of Manchester United. It’s great to see that they are being able to replicate their success at the European level as well.

The current Arsenal squad might be the best one they have had in years and they certainly have the capability to go toe to toe with the European elites.

#2 Giroud - The super sub

Benched once again, Olivier Giroud came in as a super sub to score Arsenal’s first goal of the night. Theo Walcott having been started over Giroud couldn’t conjure up much during the game. There were some great runs and he did get some half decent chances but couldn't make much out of them. Neuer’s brilliance might have had played a major part in that.

Giroud, on the other hand, had an immediate impact on the game as he scored within minutes of coming on. He had quite a good game for the 15 minutes he was on the pitch. A thing to be noted is that this is the fourth time this season Giroud has come in as a substitute to score for Wenger’s side.

If he keeps up this goalscoring record, Wenger just might bring him back into the starting lineup. A situation that plays out well for him but doesn’t reflect well on Theo Walcott who initially replaced the Frenchman.

#3 A bitter-sweet game for Neuer

For most of the game, Neuer was at his usual best, doing what he usually does – making saves and denying Arsenal any chance to score. The one save that stood out among the many was the one he made against a point blank header from Theo Walcott half an hour into the game.

The save has more than a fair chance of making it into the contender list for the save of the season. While the save might have been an indication of his inhuman nature, the belief was shattered when his blunder led to Arsenal’s first goal of the night.

He came out off his line to punch out Cazorla’s free kick in the 77th minute but missed it and Giroud punished him immediately for the slip-up. We have rarely seen the fine German make these mistakes and it shouldn’t be much of a problem for him in the long term.

While the goal did mean Bayern lost the game, they are still in a comfortable position in the group and have nothing little to worry about.

#4 Petr Cech has still got it

If we talk about Manuel Neuer, leaving out Petr Cech would be unfair. Making his European debut for Arsenal, the veteran keeper had an exceptional game. The former Chelsea man was undeniably the best player on the pitch as he kept Bayern at bay during the entire game, making saves that were out of the world seemingly every time the Bayern forwards produced a threat.

According to Wenger, his first half reflex save from Thiago Alcantara was the best among the bunch he made. His incredible performance might just have been the inspiration Arsenal needed to push forward and defeat the Bavarians.

This game has once again reaffirmed the fact that he is still one of the best keepers in the world and Wenger was right in bringing him to the Emirates. Is he the catalyst Arsenal have been needing all these years?

#5 Douglas Costa\'s brilliance

Relatively unknown prior to the start of this season, Douglas Costa is proving an absolutely wonderful buy for the Bavarians. The Brazilian youngster was undoubtedly the most active Bayern player on the field, threatening the Arsenal defense everytime the ball came to his feet.

He showed some amazing wizardry during the first half, completely baffling Hector Bellerin and leaving him out cold on many instances. He kept dancing around the Arsenal defense with the ball at his feet and had some good shots on goal which Cech did manage to stop, as he did with all attempts on the night.

He showed us why Guardiola considers him among the best talents in Europe. If he can work on his finishing a little more, there is no doubt that he can become one of the best in the world.