Just two weeks after tasting a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates, Bundesliga holders Bayern Munich brought Arsenal back to earth with a 5-1 thrashing at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday. Giroud was on target for the Gunners as he was at Emirates, but Munchen were too hot on the day for Arsenal.
Here are the player ratings for this game:
Bayern Munchen:
Neuer (3): Was rarely tested in front of goal apart from a Cazorla shot in the first half. Was generally at his usual self.
Lahm (3.5): A comfortable night for the veteran German defender as he looked comfortable against the likes of Sanchez.
Boateng (3): Was solid at the back whenever called upon but was largely untested for the most part of the game.
Martinez (3): Was the weak link in the air for Bayern at the back, but was not put under any pressure by Arsenal.
Alaba (4): A perfect day for the full-back as his marauding runs from the back kept Arsenal under pressure. Scored a goal and set one up for Robben.
Alonso (3.5): A master class from the Spanish midfielder as he sat in the middle and ran the game for the home team.
Coman (3.5): Was simply unplayable as he was making runs after runs. Turned the game into a nightmare for the visiting back line.
Muller (4): Was at the centre of everything happening for the German as he was alert to every opportunity that came his way.
Thiago (4.5): The ex-Barcelona player was in sublime form last night as he produced some superb passes through to their teammates setting up chance after chance. His masterclass was a man of the match performance on the day.
Costa (4): Simply ran through Arsenal for the 5th Munchen goal and was at his full pace and energy down the flank all night long.
Lewandowski (4): Makes it look so easy when in form, Lewandowski was full of strength and tricks as he troubled Arsenal’s defense till he was there on the pitch.
SUBS:
Benatia (3.5)
Robben (4)
Vidal (3.5)
Arsenal
Petr Cech (3.5): Could have been even worse had it not been for Cech sublime performance on the night as he made at least 5 superb saves to deny Bayern any more goals.
Debuchy (1.5): One of the worst nights in an Arsenal shirt as he was at fault for two of the 5 goals on the night directly.
Gabriel (1.5): Was not in sync with his back line as he played the Bayern players on-side more than once on the night.
Per Mertesacker (2): Should take the blame for the abject defensive failure for the team as a whole.
Monreal (2): Not the worst defensive display but was just not good enough for the hosts on the day.
Cazorla (2.5): Was exposed as a holding midfielder when Alaba scored but was delightful with the ball at feet.
Coquelin (2): Was nowhere near to good enough to contain the likes of Alonso and Thiago as he rarely provided cover for his back four.
Campbell (2.5): Wasted possession a number of times at the beginning of the game and also lacked the final pass when required.
Mesut Ozil (2): Missed a golden opportunity to equalize as he handled the ball instead of heading it. Was not his usual self.
Sanchez (2.5): Not a bad performance by the Chilean but his team needs more from him in games like these.
Giroud (3): A really well-taken goal that did not matter in the end. Was toiling hard all day to try and put pressure on the Bayern defense.
SUBS:
Gibbs (3)
Chambers (2.5)