Arsenal 2-3 Borussia Dortmund: Player ratings as Gunners lose Emirates homecoming

Arsenal's first match at Emirates Stadium as Premier League champions ended in defeat as Borussia Dortmund claimed a 3-2 victory in North London on Sunday afternoon.

New signing Bruno Guimaraes was paraded out in front of the home crowd in Eberechi Eze fashion before kick-off, and this arguably proved to be the highlight of the day for those who attended.

Mikel Arteta opted for a similar eleven to the one that started in Wednesday's defeat to Real Betis in Dublin. Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes came into the side in place of Ethan Nwaneri and Piero Hincapie, with the rest of the team unchanged.

The Gunners fell behind early on when Felix Nmecha slipped Samuele Inacio in on goal, and the young Italian tucked home nicely. The home side responded well to going behind, and almost found an equaliser when Viktor Gyokeres crashed the bar from close range following excellent work from Max Dowman.

However, Dortmund hit the North Londoners with a sucker punch just before the half-hour mark, when Konstantinos Karetsas broke into space on the counter-attack and bent a delightful effort beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga into the top corner.

Ethan Nwaneri halved the deficit shortly after the break, sweeping home from a neat cut-back from Christos Tzolis. This one-goal deficit lasted just four minutes, with Joane Gadou pouncing on a scrap inside the box to re-establish Dortmund's cushion.

Arsenal bit back midway through the second period when Gyokeres emphatically converted a spot-kick won by Tzolis.

Arteta then rung the changes in the final 15 minutes, introducing several academy stars and senior players who may well be on the way out. As is often the case when a host of substitutions are made at the same time, this killed the rhythm of the game, and the Gunners ultimately ran out as narrow losers.

Arsenal 2-3 Borussia Dortmund player ratings

Goalkeeper and Defenders

Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK) - 5.5/10 - After a disastrous display in Dublin, the Spanish keeper produced a steadier showing against Dortmund. Competent in possession, he had no chance on either goal.

Ben White (RB) - 7/10 - Constantly providing Dowman with overlapping runs, he was back to his very best as an offensive outlet. His growing chemistry with the Hale End wonderkid could prove useful in second-rate competitions next season.

Cristian Mosquera (CB) - 6.5/10 - An astute display from the Spaniard, who looked much more comfortable alongside the imperious Gabriel than he has in the previous two fixtures.

Gabriel Magalhães (CB) - 6.5/10 - The Brazilian swept up effortlessly on numerous occasions, though there were certainly signs of rust in his second match back.

Riccardo Calafiori (LB) - 6/10 - Arguably somewhat at fault for both the second and third Dortmund goals, the Italian had an afternoon to forget defensively, even if he did some good work in possession.

Midfielders

Myles Lewis-Skelly (CM) - 6/10 - Tasked once again with holding down the fort as a single pivot in the middle of the park, due to the lack of available central midfielders, he did his best. Some excellent passing, although he can look vulnerable when left alone in transition.

Martin Odegaard (CM) - 7/10 - The captain made his return to the team and, as has been customary throughout pre-season, was given a 30-minute cameo in his first match back. The Norwegian used these minutes well, playing a handful of incisive passes to get Arsenal into dangerous positions.

Kai Havertz (CM) - 7/10 - While he's clearly crying out to return to his natural position up front, Havertz displayed what he can do as a third-man runner in midfield, constantly making smart darts in behind which created issues for the Dortmund backline.

Forwards

Max Dowman (RW) - 7.5/10 - After a quiet start, the youngster came alive midway through the first half. He was at the heart of every dangerous move the Gunners created before being hooked alongside a number of others late on.

Viktor Gyokeres (ST) - 7/10 - A mixed day for Arsenal's Swedish number nine. While he struggled to hold the ball up at times and wasted a few threatening opportunities, he was busy throughout, constantly making himself available with smart runs into the channels.

Christos Tzolis (LW) - 7/10 - Arsenal's new man impressed on his home debut. His set-pieces and astute tracking back caught the eye, while he also created Nwaneri's goal with some neat play inside the box and won the penalty for the second.

Substitutes

Ethan Nwaneri (on 33' for Odegaard) - 6.5/10
Illan Meslier (on 46' for Kepa) - 6/10
Marli Salmon (on 60' for Gabriel) - 7/10
Piero Hincapie (on 60' for Calafiori) - 6/10
Fabio Vieira (on 78' for Dowman) - N/A
Gabriel Jesus (on 78' for Gyokeres) - N/A
Gabriel Martinelli (on 78' for Tzolis) - N/A
Josh Ogunnaike (on 78' for Mosquera) - N/A
Ife Ibrahim (on 78' for Lewis-Skelly) - N/A
Ceadach O'Neill (on 78' for Havertz) - N/A
Theo Julienne (on 78' for White) - N/A

Player of the match: Max Dowman

There were a handful of promising performances on the day in a red and white shirt, but Dowman arguably had the most influence on the game. Creative and involved in a number of pieces of neat combination play, the 16-year-old is very much in line to start on the opening day against Coventry City at this rate.

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