Arsenal edges out Bayern Munich

Riding on the high of a good win against arguably the best team in the world, Arsenal produced another solid all round performance to edge out Bayern Munich in their backyard. A Robin Van Persie goal once again proved to be the difference between the two teams.

It was well and truly a story of contrasting halves. Arsenal came out with all their guns blazing in the first half. They did simply everything they could with the exception of getting the football beyond the goal line. They controlled the midfield, Fabregas donning the role of the midfield general again. They were solid in defence. The keeper was hardly ever called into action. Robin Van Persie and Eduardo often ran rings around the Munich defenders only to be denied by an outstanding Kahn. He parried, blocked and charged and effectively kept Arsenal at bay for the first half.

The teams went into the half with the scorecard unchanged. Arsenal must have hoped to carry the momentum of the first half after the break and turn them into a flurry of goals.

But Bayern Munich had other ideas. They seemed to be a totally transformed team after the break and were soon controlling the flow of the game. Tables turned, they attacked with flair. Miroslav Klose let fly a screamer from about 30 yards out which looked goal written all over it until Lehmann plucked it out of thin air. Toni broke free of the defense and advanced menacingly into the box and looked like scoring. He was also denied by a superb diving effort from Lehmann. The Battle of the German keepers was on.

Bayern continued pressing forward throwing more and more bodies into the frontline. Arsenal sensed an oppurtunity here. Just past the hour mark, on a quick counter, the pacy Hleb broke free and raced ahead. After a deft pass to Van Persie, the striker obliged all the home fans and calmly slotted the ball past Kahn. Bayern had fallen unlucky victims to their own aggression. Although they continued their search for an equalising goal with the same vigour, it was Arsenal and Van Persie who came close to increasing the lead on a couple of occassions. Fabregas slowly but surely retook what was his during the first half, the midfield.

It was a close game through out and it ended that way, the teams seperated only the thinnest of margins. Fabregas was awarded the man of the match award, his second of the season already.Bayern fought well and were desperately unlucky to have dropped points. It was a good game from Arsenal bringing an end to a profitable week.