It was a game of high tension that required intense concentration from the Gunners, particularly because Bayern had so much possession and looked constantly dangerous.
While they looked dangerous in the first half, they produced only two real chances of note and Petr Cech made two fine saves, one from Vidal and the other from Thiago.
Arsenal, despite seeing little of the ball, produced a number of chances and were unlucky not to score. Theo Walcott had several chances, but the one he took best, the header from a Monreal cross, produced a world class save from Neuer.
Neuer also saved an Ozil shot that was headed for the corner and on both of these saves Arsenal were unable to poke home the rebounds.
Arsenal gradually started to come more into the game in the second half, although they still did most of the chasing and defending. Robert Lewandowski had two chances saved by Cech, who also saved a Thomas Mueller shot.
Arsenal finally scored when Neuer misjudged Cazorla’s free kick and Olivier Giroud made the slightest of contact with his face (and his hand) and the ball rolled into the goal.
Giroud had another chance to score, this time a header from a corner, but he hit it straight at Neuer.
Arsenal finally secured the victory when Bellerin raced into the box and crossed to Ozil, whose shot crossed the line, causing the goal judge to rule a goal as play continued.
Now Arsenal need to get a result in Munich as Olympiakos won in Zagreb.
Player Ratings:
Cech 8: Another clean sheet and some excellent saves. Did well to challenge Lewandowski late and deflect his shot out. This is why we got him.
Bellerin 8: You have to like Hector. He’d had a tough night trying to contain Douglas Costa, who beat him a number of times. But he persisted and didn’t falter. Then, late in the game, he put the effort in and made a number of runs, one of which led to the second goal. Fabulous.
Mertesacker 7: Per stood strong at the back and made a number of vital interventions.
Koscielny 8: Vital challenges on Lewandowski in the second half saved the game for the Gunners. He was solid the entire night.
Monreal 8: They challenged him repeatedly, but he never really broke. Mueller did spin around him and get off a shot, but Monreal was hard to beat. He made a superb cross to Walcott in the first half.
Coquelin 7: He had his hands full and while he had a tough time, his harrying and work rate were important. He had a powerful shot which didn’t miss the goal by very much.
Cazorla 7: He had a hard time getting on the ball in the first half, but he became more prominent in the second. It was his free kick that Giroud converted.
Ozil 8: Scored a vital goal against his buddy Manuel Neuer. He was effective coming forward, but he had his pocket picked several times and he got no sympathy from the referee when he felt he’d been fouled.
Ramsey 7: After Neuer’s miracle save, he had a chance to score on the rebound, but he hit wide. Did in his hamstring in the second half. We’re a little short when it comes to offensive midfielders now with Wilshere and Rosicky both out as well.
Walcott 7: He looked dangerous a number of times, but his finishing was not decisive. His header, though, looked fairly decisive, but Neuer managed to palm it away.
Sanchez 7: There was effort and he looked dangerous when Arsenal were breaking upfield, but he had no real chance to score. He did make a couple of sloppy passes, which both led to Bayern scoring opportunities.
Substitutes:
Giroud 8: I’m making him man of the match, because he did what he’s there to do, score. He almost had a second and once he was in he was able to compete for the high balls.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 6: A largely quiet game from Alex. With Ramsey going down injured, he has a chance to make a big impact on the team for the next month. Let’s hope he takes it.
Gibbs n/a. Helped to provide some defence at the end.