Arsenal:
                    Lehmann
            Lauren Toure Senderos Cole
Ljungberg (van Persie) Vieira Flamini (Fabregas) Reyes (Pires)
                 Henry Bergkamp

The away side played a strong pressing game that gave us very little time on the ball in the first half. Bergkamp played more up front than he often does, and so saw less of it than you'd hope. Reyes had a very poor game, made all the more clear by the difference Pires made when he came on. Apart from that, there were a lot of good performances, in particular from Phillipe Senderos who many had seen as the weak link before the match.

As early as the second minute, Senderos charged down a shot from just outside the box. Moments later he did brilliantly to out-muscle Pizarro. Bayern were attacking strongly and Arsenal couldn't get into their stride. Then Henry lost the ball on the left wing but chased back to repossess then made a run through the middle that was finally ended by a foul from Ballack, who hurt himself in the process (but not enough).

On 9 minutes Lauren and Toure between them managed to screw up in their own right corner, failing to clear the ball and presenting a chance for a cross which was headed clear by Senderos challenging a striker in the air 6 yards out. Then Pizarro robbed Cole on the goal-line (more defensive dithering by Arsenal players used to being given more time to play themselves out of trouble), and got the ball into the box only for Flamini to make a great sliding tackle.

Deisler fouled Reyes halfway into their half and allowed play to go on bu Lauren wasted it. Then the ref, who had a generally confusing game, stopped play to have a word with Deisler, but without the ball going out. Eventually he restarted with a dropped ball.

Pizarro nutmegged Flamini halfway into our half and advanced to shoot only to see it blocked once again by Senderos. Then Salimahazic was put through by Pizarro on the break. He had loads of space to run at the box but Bergkamp did well to chase him back and put him off enough to give Toure the chance to get back and clear.

Reyes wasted a chance to break down the left wing (again and again).

On 20 minutes Bergkamp went in late on Lucio and was probably lucky to only get a yellow card. Then finally we managed a bit of sustained pressure and after some pinball in their box it came back to Vieira whose 25 yard shot went well wide.

Desiler had a shot blocked by Flamini for a corner and there was then a sequence of tricky ones (Bayern didn't seem to have any trouble clearing the first man, mind you Arsenal hadn't had a chance to try yet). From one of them, Lehmann's punch fell invitingly to Ballack but he shot wide.

A cross from the left was deflected through to Deisler on the far side of the box. Lehmann came towards him and managed to reach up to pluck the ball out of the air when Deisler tried to chip him. Then Deisler appeared to get himself hurt when caught by Lauren in a fair challenge in our box, and went down like the proverbial bag of potatoes. Lehmann clearly thought he was faking and slightly foolishly went to pick him up off the ground. The ref made Desiler go off the pitch but as soon as he crossed the touchline his limp miraculously disappeared and he ran round to the halfway line so he could get straight back on the pitch.

Finally with 10 minutes to go we had a good spell. Henry got into the box on the left but Kahn came out and made a good block. Then Henry's classy dribbling under lots of pressure got the ball into their box for a spot more pinball. We caused a little chaos and looked unlucky to see the ref end it by giving a free kick to the away side.

We had another half chance right at the end of the half when Bergkamp held the ball well on the edge of the box before feeding Reyes who tried to poke it through the defence for Freddie's run, but played it a bit too strong.

Arsenal managed to up the tempo a bit after the break, starting to match the industry of the away side. Bergkamp hit a speculative long pass from the right back position which a defender managed to miss, and because Henry wasn't expecting that he missed it too, when he'd have been in on goal if he'd controlled it.

Finally we won a couple of corners, well won by Freddie and Flamini, but wasted by Henry and Reyes (yes you guessed it, straight at the defender at the near post).

10 minutes into the second half Henry lobbed a free kick into the box and Vieira received it on the left of goal. He did well to control the high ball and juggle it down before hitting a low shot beyond the far post. Should have tested Kahn really.

Senderos lost the ball through more dithering but recovered well and chased back to win a free kick. A free kick into their box was cleared towards Reyes who inexplicably waited for it to come to him when it was clear that he wasn't going to be allowed to claim the ball unchallenged. Sure enough, he was beaten to it and they broke upfield. He did well to chase back to force a corner when a good goal-scoring chance looked a certainty. But it's not good news when the best contribution a player makes is covering for his own error.

The corner went for another corner, again all their corners coming into the danger area (do they practice them or something, the fiends?!), and from the second a Bayern player got a free header but put it high.

Just under half an hour to go and finally Pires came on for Reyes (and Cesc for Flamini). Pires made a big difference. Moments after the subs came on, Henry chased a long high ball forward into the box. Under pressure form a defender he controlled it with his first touch, just beyond the left post, and with his second he slipped it low past Kahn inside the far post. Terrific goal.

But Bayern weren't rocked and responded with a good spell. Ballack went on a great run into the centre from their right, and hit a cracking shot which Lehmann did well to tip over the bar.

10 minutes to go and van Persie came on for Freddie. Pires took a looping free kick from the left wing towards the far post which was cleared and Ze Roberto (who'd just come off the bench) broke, only for Henry to chase back the lenght of the pitch to reclaim it.

Van Persie was unlucky when after a nice first touch he tried to prod the ball through for Cole on the left but got it too strong. The Pires took a free kick short to Cesc whose cross was headed goalwards by Toure but Kahn managed to palm it over from just under the bar.

Van Persie clearly knows how to take an Arsenal corner. It came straight back to him off the first man, who was found again by the Dutchman's second effort and it went for another corner. This time he played it infield to Bergkamp whose low drive through the crowded box evaded everyone and wen a yard wide of the far post.

Finally Senderos made a mistake and let Pizarro in, but Lehmann came out well to make a save right on the edge of his box.

So, out of the Champs League again but some pride restored I thought, with a win over a team that will be hard for anyone to beat over 90 minutes. Let's not feel too bad about this match - it's the manner of the loss in Munich that's still hard to take.

Thierry Henry is now just 7 goals away from equalling Wrighty's all-time Arsenal goalscoring record, but has one less competition to do it in, this season at least.