Defenders play exceptionally, but attackers struggle to find the final ball…
Arsenal player ratings:
21 Lukas Fabianski – 9
Top performance from the Polish understudy. Starting the game because Szczesny was suspended, Fabianski distributed the ball excellently, made a number of good saves (catching the ball at every opportunity instead of parrying it) and he even stopped a penalty at the end.
03 Bacary Sagna – 6
Rarely ventured beyond the halfway line, and he was regularly pinned deep by Ribery. Won most of the battles with the Frenchman, but got bamboozled by him for Bayern’s goal.
05 Thomas Vermaelen – 8
Performing in an unnatural left-back role, the Belgian was superb. He was brave, making tackles and headers, and he was a fair match for the brilliant Arjen Robben.
04 Per Mertesacker – 8
The German was heroic at the back, winning virtually every header, and marshalling a deep but effective defensive line.
06 Laurent Koscielny – 7
Gave a penalty away late on, which was unfortunate, because it blighted a brave performance. Made countless blocks, and kept Mandzukic quiet all night.
08 Mikel Arteta – (Gnabry, 77′) – 7
The Spaniard worked incredibly hard to harry Thiago and Bastian Schweinsteiger when they were in possession, but was luckily not be sent off after giving away countless fouls.
15 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – (Flamini, 84′) – 9
Absolute live-wire. Ran with the ball, drew fouls, and looked like Arsenal’s best chance of making something happen all night. Tired late on, but showed everyone his outrageous potential.
19 Santi Cazorla – 6
Unfortunately for the playmaker, it just didn’t run for him. His feet were nice, and his touch was excellent, but his final delivery was basically non-existent.
11 Özil (Rosicky, 45′) – 5
The stage was perfectly set for the German to put in a season defining performance at the Allianz Arena. Unfortunately, he picked up a knock and was subbed at half-time, after barely getting a sniff. Shame.
09 Lukas Podolski – 7
Didn’t see too much of the ball out on Arsenal’s left, but stole the ball from Philipp Lahm and slammed home Arsenal’s equaliser. It was probably a foul, but it gave Arsenal a slight chance of stealing a famous win.
12 Olivier Giroud – 4
Harsh to score Giroud a 4, because he didn’t really get much of a sniff. He didn’t really get himself in many promising positions, either.
