Arsenal recorded a crucial 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich to boost their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage this evening.
Despite being on the back foot for much of the evening, late goals from Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil made the difference in an entertaining encounter as Bayern failed to turn possession into clear opportunities.
Below, Sports Mole rates every performance from the Group F clash.
ARSENAL
© Getty Images
Goal
Petr Cech: Showed why his boss was right to sign him in the summer. Made a number of impressive saves to back up his defence in a fine display. (8/10)
Defence
Hector Bellerin: A short memory is perhaps his greatest attribute. Troubled by the tricky Douglas Costa throughout the first half, but he recovered well to improve as the game progressed before setting up the second goal with a brilliant interception and run in stoppage time. (7/10)
Laurent Koscielny: Proved his class. Beaten just once by Lewandowski but even then he recovered to stop the goal. Faultless throughout 90 minutes as he controlled the defensive line and stepped in with crucial interceptions when Bayern looked to step up the tempo. (8/10)
Per Mertesacker: Dominant whenever Bayern sent crosses into the box, and he fought the urge to be dragged out of position by the attacking players. Benefited from Bayern not sending more midfield runners forward after the break, but deserves credit for showing great awareness in the box. (7/10)
Nacho Monreal: Improved as his Arsenal career progressed, but this might be have been his best performance for the club. Marked Thomas Muller out of the game for long spells and never overcommitted at the opposite end of the field. A brilliant display from the Spaniard. (8/10)
Midfield
Francis Coquelin: It was a shaky start from the midfield anchorman, who struggled to handle the midfield runners, but he coped well and looked to be attached to the defenders on a string as he cleaned up any loose balls in dangerous positions. (7/10)
Santi Cazorla: Not the type of game when he could dictate the tempo, but he curbed his attacking instincts well to ensure there were no gaps for Bayern to attack in midfield. Continues to get better as a traditional central midfielder. (6/10)
Mesut Ozil: Caught out of position on a few occasions as he struggled to adapt to being without the ball for long spells. However, he tracked back when needed and showed good desire to get forward to wrap up the win in stoppage time. (6/10)
Alexis Sanchez: One of the most threatening players on the pitch in the first half as he cut inside regularly to link up with Theo Walcott. Tired as the second half progressed but battled impressively to back up the central midfielders. (6/10)
Aaron Ramsey: Forced to do most of his work helping out Hector Bellerin. Struggled to get involved, before being forced off with a hamstring injury in the second half. (5/10)
Attack
Theo Walcott: Learning what it takes to become a lone striker. Stretched the game with his pace to give the Bayern defence problems throughout the first half, and certainly should have scored with a free header. Denied the ball for long spells after the break, but always offered an outlet for his teammates. (7/10)
Substitutes
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Replaced the injured Aaron Ramsey on the right of midfield and his pace was a useful tool when Arsenal needed to relieve the pressure on the defence. (6/10)
Olivier Giroud: May have touched the ball with his hand, but made the crucial breakthrough just a few minutes after coming on. Held the ball up in the closing stages to frustrate the visitors in an impressive cameo. (7/10)
Kieran Gibbs: Came on for the tiring Alexis Sanchez as Arsenal looked to add more protection on the wings. (5/10)
BAYERN MUNICH
© Getty Images
Goal
Manuel Neuer: A Jekyll and Hyde display from the world's best goalkeeper. Ended the save of the season race early by somehow keeping out a Theo Walcott header, but at fault for the opener when he failed to claim a free kick. (7/10)
Defence
Philipp Lahm: A typically faultless performance from the captain. Perfect in defence and in possession as he started at full-back before moving into midfield. (7/10)
Jerome Boateng: Troubled by Walcott's pace when Arsenal adopted a slightly more direct approach. Given the chance to come forward with the ball as Bayern pushed in the second half, but his passing was often poor. (5/10)
David Alaba: Crucial to hunting down Walcott when Arsenal broke at pace, but he, too, will be disappointed with the number of misplaced passes he delivered in the second half. (6/10)
Juan Bernat: Struggled to threaten with the overlapping runs that make him such an important player for Bayern. Allowed Douglas Costa to dominate on the wing, but offered little. (5/10)
Midfield
Xabi Alonso: Dictated the tempo of the match for most of the evening. Unsurprisingly, he displayed a superb range of passing and it was a shock to see him replaced as Bayern went in search of a breakthrough in the second half. (7/10)
Arturo Vidal: Threatened to break the deadlock with an excellent volley, but he stayed on the fringes of the match for too long when Bayern needed him to take charge. (6/10)
Thiago Alcantara: Unlikely to steal many headlines in defeat, but arguably one of the standout performers. Great movement off the ball and he shifted the ball from wing to wing with apparent ease. (8/10)
Attack
Thomas Muller: One of his poorest performances for a long time. Kept quiet by the impressive Nacho Monreal and unable to force his way into the game as Bayern struggled to spot his runs off the ball. (5/10)
Douglas Costa: Displayed all of his tricks in the first half to give Hector Bellerin a tough time with his pace and direct approach. Always a threat when he managed to get to the byline, despite struggling to get on the ball as much after the break. (8/10)
Robert Lewandowski: Has been unable to do anything wrong in recent weeks, but he was the victim of a faultless display from Arsenal's centre-backs. Battled admirably despite being short of his best. Wasted a good chance when he hesitated on the ball in the box. (5/10)
Substitutes
Joshua Kimmich: Stuck to doing the simple pass when he replaced Xabi Alonso, but his boss may have been expecting a greater impact from the young midfielder. (5/10)
Rafinha: Unable to have much of an impact after being sent on at right-back in a reshuffle. (5/10)
Callum Mulvihill
