Yaya Sanogo scored his first competitive goal for the club as Arsenal secured their qualification for the Champions League knock-out stages with an impressive 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
Sanogo hasn't had the easiest of starts to his Gunners' career but took just 73 seconds to opening the scoring at the Emirates, in what was a solid display for the French striker. Alexis Sanchez added a delightful second after the restart as Arsene Wenger's men ended a run of three games without a win in all competitions.
Arsenal controlled large spells of their last game but it ended in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, so it was a lot more reassuring to see the hosts turn their pressure into goals against the German giants. Dortmund had already qualified for the knock-out stages before the match but would still have wanted to get the point they needed to secure top spot in Group D. As it is the Gunners can still snatch top spot if they beat Galatasaray in their final group game, and Anderlecht grab a surprise win in Dortmund. Whether Arsenal finish first or second in the group one thing is for sure - a place in the knock-out stages of the competition for a 15th consecutive season.
The victory was all the more impressive considering the fact that before the match Borussia Dortmund were one of just two sides left in the competition with a 100% record. Dortmund are doing poorly domestically, hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone, but they have had no such problems in the Champions League with four wins out of four...until the trip to London! What impressed me most about the result wasn't just making our pressure count but the fact that we were a lot more defensively organised and more of our players stood up to be counted.
This one result doesn't mean all our problems are gone and there is still a long way to go. But it is definitely a good start and fingers crossed it will give us a much-needed confidence boost and be the start of a strong run of form.
With Jack Wilshere, Wojciech Szczesny and Danny Welbeck all ruled out through injury, it looked set to be an even tougher game for a damaged Arsenal side. But the Gunners had other ideas and never looked back after taking the lead inside the opening two minutes.
Sanogo controlled the ball well before passing to Santi Cazorla, who gave the ball back to his team-mate with a great reverse pass. The French striker then rolled the ball through the legs of Roman Weidenfeller in the Dortmund goal. The 21-year-old should've added a second when he raced clear after nine minutes but his eventual effort was blocked.
Arsenal were well in control of the match and, unlike the defeat to Manchester United last time out, the hosts were making their pressure count. Dortmund did, however, come close to levelling the scores against the run of play before half-time. Henrikh Mkhitaryan latched onto a headed before shooting at goal but Damian Martinez, deputising for the injured Szczesny, reacted well to block his effort.
The Gunners more than deserved their narrow half-time lead but some fans would have been worried that the lead wasn't added to, knowing Dortmund were more than capable of producing a comeback.
It was pleasing to see Wenger's men keep up the defensive organisation in the second half and Dortmund struggled to create too many chances in the second half. Calum Chambers and Kieran Gibbs were again solid but more pleasing was an impressive display from Nacho Monreal, who has been suspect at the back in previous games.
Arsenal made sure of the victory after 57 minutes when Alexis Sanchez, who has been the Gunners' stand-out performer this season, cut inside from the left and curled an unstoppable long-range effort beyond Weidenfeller. It wasn't the case of Sanchez merely carrying his team this time. Instead every member of the squad stepped up to be counted with the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was making his 100th appearance for the club, particularly impressing with only the crossbar denying him a wonder goal. Martinez also performed well when called upon, denying Adrian Ramos from close range in stoppage time to complete a solid evening for the Argentine youngster.
Sanogo and Mikel Arteta picked up injuries and Arsenal fans will be hoping they are not too serious, in what was the only real negative in an impressive display from Wenger's men.
The performance and result was definitely a step in the right direction for the Gunners. The real test now will be whether or not Arsenal can produce more of the same when they return to league action against West Brom.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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