Champions League updates from the Group D encounterLiverpool v Ludogorets: follow live with our minute-by-minute reportLive scoreboard: keep up with all of the nights goals and gamesYou can email jacob.steinberg@theguardian.com or tweet @JacobSteinberg 8.01pm BST 16 min: After a neat lay-off from the influential Aubameyang, Ciro Immobile has a pop from 20 yards with his left foot. It goes wide. 8.00pm BST 14 min: Sokratis wastes a fine chance for Dortmund. They took the corner short and the resulting cross from the right came to the Greek defender. But after a sharp piece of chest - or stomach - control, he snatched at his shot under pressure and turned it wide from eight yards. A let-off for Arsenal. 7.59pm BST 13 min: An innocuous ball down the inside-right channel somehow bounces all the way through to Grosskreutz. His cross is turned behind by the covering Koscielny. 7.58pm BST 12 min: It feels like Dortmund have managed to pack 90 minutes worth of running into the opening 10 minutes. The pace has just slowed down a little now. Arsenal wont be too displeased with that. 7.56pm BST 10 min: A loose pass from Mertesacker reaches Grosskreutz, who charges into the area from the left, only to be halted by Mertesacker. He settles for a corner, which is a total nonsense from Mkhitaryan. Hes not quite done it for Dortmund yet, has he? Maybe this is to be his night. 7.55pm BST 9 min: Mesut Ozil is on the right of Arsenals attack at the moment, with Sanchez on the left, which means that Bellerin is being protected by Ozil. 7.54pm BST 8 min: A lull. A lovely lull, a chance for everyone to catch their breath and for Arsenal to try and take the sting out of this start from Dortmund. 7.53pm BST 7 min: Arsenal mount their first serious attack. Welbeck clatters into the area and seems to have won a corner off Sokratis. But the referee awards a goal-kick. Presumably because he hates Arsenal. 7.52pm BST 5 min: Dortmund scream for a penalty as Mkhitaryan tumbles over Artetas leg in the area but instead the Portuguese referee books the midfielder for diving! It came from another lightning break down the right flank. Aubameyang found Mkhitaryan, who deftly tried to duck inside, past Arteta. He went down and the whistle sounded - but for a dive! It looked like the correct decision. 7.50pm BST 4 min: This is breathless. Dortmund pour forward down the right again. Arsenal are overloaded down that side. Gibbs could do with some help. Hes not getting any. Immobile breaks clear and spots Aubameyang in the middle. The cross isnt good enough but still reaches the Dortmund forward, who cant quite turn and get his shot away. 7.49pm BST 3 min: Immobile tries to lob a pass through to Aubameyang. Theres an appeal for handball. Nothing doing. Arsenal need to stay calm. Arsenal fan here, says Rohit Kapur. Its not even deja-vu anymore. For it to be deja-vu, it has to remind me of something in the past; this, however, is a permanent state that Arsenal seems to be living in for the last decade or so. Wenger seems be flexing the purse strings more these days, but why he refuses to patch the giant, gaping holes in the squad is just plain astounding. Flamini is a liability, as is Arteta in important games. Weve got five defenders in total, which in our injury-plagued squad is a guarantee of disaster. And no disrespect to Welbeck or Giroud, but even at full strength, they arent a very fear-inducing pairing. I hope they prove me wrong, but Im a wee bit too jaded these days. 7.48pm BST 2 min: In comes the corner from the right. Its a dangerous delivery from Mkhitaryan and Wilshere awkwardly knees the ball over his own bar. Schmelzer takes the second corner. Its headed away but Dortmund continue to press. Eventually Arsenal quell the storm. Dortmund have started at a furious pelt, as is their way. 7.47pm BST Off we go! Arsenal, kicking from right to left and wearing a navy number with a touch of light blue here and there, get the ball rolling and the Dortmund fans whistle. Immediately its launched long towards Welbeck. How very Allardyce. Nothing comes from it and Dortmund attack down the right. Aubameyang flashes in a cross which is cleared, but Mkhitaryans subsequent shot is deflected wide for a corner. 7.44pm BST The 74 officials are wearing grey shirts with white shorts and socks. Im not sure how I feel about this. It feels wrong. 7.42pm BST Here come the players, walking out into a Yellow Wall of noise. Both sides are needlessly wearing tracksuit tops. Theyll be taking them off in a minute. What a waste of time. They banned snoods but they cant do anything about this? 7.40pm BST Graeme Souness likes Jurgen Klopp because he doesnt talk about philosophy this, philosophy that or about false nines. He finds him a breath of fresh air. He likes the no-nonsense, heavy metal approach. 7.37pm BST Arsenal fans. Are you happy with your clubs business this summer? Not bothered by not signing a defender or a midfielder? Happy with Danny Welbeck as the new Thierry Henry? Or are you experiencing a sense of deja vu? 7.07pm BST Wenger says that he knew that Chambers would only be fit enough for the bench at 2pm this afternoon and adds that Bellerin is defensively reliable. He also doesnt think that Dortmund will target him. Hes 19 years old, he says. If you dont start at 19, you never start. 7.05pm BST Paul Merson is growing a beard. How grown up. 6.59pm BST My colleague from the Independent, Jack Pitt-Brooke, is yet to work out how to spend his spare time properly and has therefore watched a lot of Arsenals Under-21s. Therefore he has seen Hector Bellerin play. Below he gives his prediction on how the Spaniard is going to fare tonight.Seen Hector Bellerin a fair bit at U21 level - he's v quick (was a winger before they moved him back) and tough. No idea how he'll do tho. 6.55pm BST Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Durm, Sokratis, Subotic, Schmelzer; Bender, Kehl; Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan, Grosskreutz; Immobile. Subs: Langerak, Bandowski, Ginter, Jojic, Amini, Kagawa, Ramos.Arsenal: Szczesny; Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Arteta, Wilshere; Sanchez, Ramsey, Ozil; Welbeck. Subs: Ospina, Chambers, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Campbell, Podolski. 6.45pm BST I suppose youve forgotten just how good former Arsenal midfielder Denilson was. For shame. 6.30pm BST So, what to make of Arsenal? Well, theyve shown their grit by coming through a difficult qualifier against Besiktas. The last-minute winner against Crystal Palace on the opening day of the season also suggested that steel is running through this side. So did the fightback from 2-0 down against Everton and from a goal down against Manchester City. Maybe weve got a new Arsenal on our hands, an Arsenal that wont lie down and crumble at the first sign of trouble, an Arsenal with resilience and heart, an Arsenal that can handle the pressure of playing big matches, an Arsenal that has grown from past failures. Jack Wilshere is finding his form and theyve splashed the cash on Alexis Sanchez, a player who can be placed in the top bracket, and spent £16m on Danny Welbeck, Englands new hero.On the other hand, it could be said that they were fortunate to escape unscathed against Besiktas. That they werent especially convincing against managerless Palace. That the only reason they had to come from behind against Everton was because they messed up the first half. That they couldnt hold on against City. That Welbecks chip against the champions shows why Manchester United were willing to sell him to direct rivals. And that Arsene Wengers decision to sign neither a commanding midfielder nor another centre-back proves that not every lesson from the past has been taken on board. Nothing like a good healthy debate about everyones favourite activity, football! Continue reading...
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