Disappointing display irks Wenger

Ciro Immobile and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck either side of half-time but the German club would have won by a landslide if it were not for the reflexes of Wojciech Szczesny and their own wastefulness.

Arsenal's defending was woeful and reached its nadir for Immobile's opener, but Wenger admitted they had under-performed across the pitch.

"We lost the ball at the throw in but it was still three against Immobile at the back," Wenger said. "It's still difficult to understand how we concede the goal. There were still enough people to stop the goal. Dortmund were very strong in midfield. They were stronger than us in midfield.

"But it's very difficult on the night to go into any individual assessment of any player because as a team we were not at the requested level. It was a difficult night. Dortmund were the better team. Our performance was disappointing."

Dortmund had 22 shots on target while Arsenal could muster only four in a defeat far more emphatic than suggested by the scoreline.

Arsenal are paying the price for more transfer window incompetence, as manager Arsene Wenger’s intransigence saw the club ignore the gaping hole in the centre of their midfield. A porous Arsenal midfield saw their back four under incessant pressure against Dortmund and they were lucky to get away from the Signal Iduna Park having only conceded two goals. Quite patently, Jack Wilshere or Mikel Arteta are not up to the job of shielding the back four.

Daniel Taylor (The Guardian): It was a night of awkward truths for Arsenal and, by the time it was all done, it felt like the irrefutable evidence of how far they have to go before they can be regarded as a team who are capable of making a serious impression on the Champions League. It is some considerable distance on the evidence of this defeat, when Arsène Wenger’s players were made to look ordinary and should probably be relieved that Borussia Dortmund could not turn their superiority into more goals.

Henry Winter (The Telegprah): Too naïve, too slow, too open, too meek. Arsenal were fortunate they let in only two goals to a sharper, smarter, stronger Dortmund side. It was difficult to know what was worse, Arsenal's hapless defending or the officials' horrendous new kit. Probably Arsenal's defending; at least the referee's shirt had some shape.