Jadon Sancho was poor while Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry delivered the goods as Bayern Munich narrowly beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on Saturday.
Both sides were quick off the blocks, with the game being an end-to-end affair pretty much from the get-go. Bayern Munich conjured up the better of the chances, though, and even saw Robert Lewandowski bundling the ball into the back of the net before being pulled back for offside for the barest of margins.
However, Borussia Dortmund ended up breaking the deadlock in the 45th minute through Marco Reus before David Alaba levelled things up on the stroke of half-time. Lewandowski finally had his goal just a couple of minutes post the interval, converting a cross from Lucas Hernandez to hand Bayern Munich the lead.
Robert Lewandowski loves scoring against his former team ? pic.twitter.com/NxS4bObvUV
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 7, 2020
Dortmund subsequently had plenty of chances to not just equalise but even retake the lead, but it was Bayern who scored again, as Lewandowski teed up Leroy Sane to make it 3-1. Dortmund did pull a goal back through Erling Haaland, but that was as good as it got. The result sent Bayern to the top of the table while Dortmund are third. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over both sides.
Roman Burki: 7/10
Despite conceding three goals, Burki was the prime reason why the game was not beyond Borussia Dortmund when Erling Haaland made it 3-2 late in the game. The Dortmund no. 1 made a string of important saves, but could not have stopped Bayern Munich from scoring any of their three goals.
Thomas Meunier: 4/10
A difficult outing for Meunier, who constantly struggled against the pace and trickery of Kingsley Coman. Created one chance on his forward forays, but was not a consistent outlet.
Manuel Akanji: 5/10
Another who was uncomfortable when dealing with the might of the Bayern Munich attack. Won 6 duels but was caught out of position on a couple of occasions as well.
Mats Hummels: 5/10
Fast-tracked into the starting lineup after sufficiently recovering from a hamstring issue, Hummels looked a tad bit off the pace. Imposing in the air but wasteful on the ball, while also getting outsmarted by Robert Lewandowski.
Raphael Guerreiro: 8/10
The best of the lot at the back for Borussia Dortmund. Guerreiro was largely solid at the back while carrying a significant threat down the left flank. Created the opening goal of the game for Marco Reus in addition to playing a staggering 7 other key passes. Unlucky to end up on the losing side.
Raphaël Guerreiro now playing as a LB rather than at wing-back,yet still providing brilliant attacking output down Dortmund’s left. Class performance in Der Klassiker:
•2 assists
•3 big chances created
•8 chances createdHas to be considered amongst the best LBs in the world. pic.twitter.com/Wof2XwL5L9
— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) November 7, 2020
Axel Witsel: 6/10
The best midfielder on the pitch, Witsel made a number of important interventions while winning 10 duels in all. Sloppy at times on the ball but largely neat while linking up with the attackers.
Thomas Delaney: 5/10
Delaney set the Bayern Munich comeback in motion after bringing Serge Gnabry down before David Alaba made it 1-1. Struggled against the visitors’ press which contributed to sub-par passing.
Jadon Sancho: 4/10
A game to forget for Sancho, who just could not manage to get into the game bar a couple of instances, most notably setting up a chance for Erling Haaland. Lost the ball a staggering 18 times.
Marco Reus: 7/10
A game of hits and misses for Reus. The Dortmund captain, though, opened the scoring for his side and also strung together a couple of key passes. However, he missed a sitter later on in the game.
Giovanni Reyna: 6/10
Like Reus, Reyna had a fine chance go abegging when a better finish could have seen Dortmund level things up. Showed some neat touches but decision-making let him down.
Erling Haaland: 6.5/10
Haaland scored the second Dortmund goal but it was too little too late. Earlier in the game, he had a fine chance presented from Sancho, only to shoot off target. His movement did leave the Bayern defence scrambling at times.
GOAL! 2-3
⚽️@ErlingHaaland
?️@RaphGuerreiro #BVBFCB pic.twitter.com/jb0hXrVacM— Borussen ✍? (@BorussenEdits) November 7, 2020
SUBSTITUTES
Jude Bellingham: 6/10
The best of the Borussia Dortmund substitutes, Bellingham hardly misplaced a pass and even created a chance while also winning 5 duels.
Thorgan Hazard: 5/10
Introduced in place of Sancho to make a difference, Hazard pretty much continued from where the Englishman left off and even failed to finish off a fine opening.
Julian Brandt: 5/10
On for Reyna, Brandt failed to impact the game.
Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer: 7/10
Neuer was not tested a great deal and made a couple of straightforward saves to ensure Bayern Munich remained in front. Could not have done much to stop either Dortmund goal.
Bouna Sarr: 5/10
With Benjamin Pavard unavailable, Bouna Sarr made a rare start. But, it was a game to forget for the youngster, who was pulled out of position several times and struggled to cope with Reyna’s pace.
Jerome Boateng: 5/10
Boateng had a difficult evening, with Haaland’s movement leaving him back-pedalling a number of times. Nowhere to be seen when Reus scored the first goal of the game. Created a fine chance as well, though.
David Alaba: 7/10
Alaba set the tone for the Bayern Munich comeback with a brilliant free-kick. At the back, though, he was well off his best and incredibly wasteful with the ball at his feet, losing possession 18 times.
Lucas Hernandez: 7.5/10
Like his counterpart, Lucas Hernandez was the best of the lot at the back for Bayern Munich. The French international kept a check on Jadon Sancho and created a couple of chances, including one from which Lewandowski scored.
Joshua Kimmich: 5/10
Joshua Kimmich is suspected to have suffered a lateral ligament (LCL) injury in his knee [Bild] pic.twitter.com/9xJ6Nu2eHR
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) November 7, 2020
A night to forget for Kimmich, who was perhaps lucky to avoid seeing red before he was taken off with a knee injury.
Leon Goretzka: 6/10
Not the best of performances by Goretzka, who flitted in and out of the game after seeing an early effort being parried away by Roman Burki. Put a shift in on the defensive front.
Serge Gnabry: 8/10
Gnabry won the free-kick that was converted by Alaba and was generally the trouble maker for the Dortmund defence. Did not get on top of Guerreiro, but tormented Meunier, playing 2 key passes.
Thomas Muller: 7/10
Muller, as always, pulled the strings from the central positions, delivering a team-high 5 key passes, although he also lost possession 27 times. Relentless while pressing.
Kingsley Coman: 7/10
Like Gnabry, Coman carried a great deal of threat when taking on the Dortmund defence, with Meunier, in particular, having a difficult evening against him.
Robert Lewandowski: 8/10
300 games ?
259 goals ⚽
15 titles ?And he's not finished yet ?@lewy_official #LewanGOALski pic.twitter.com/mGNgBJOPvm
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) November 7, 2020
On another day, Lewandowski might have been celebrating a hat-trick after being denied two goals by VAR. Lewandowski did have his goal, though, handing Bayern the lead with a peach of a finish before turning provider for Leroy Sane late on. A different animal right now.
SUBSTITUTES
Corentin Tolisso: 6/10
On for Kimmich, Tolisso was solid off the ball but wasteful at times during build-up play.
Javi Martinez: 6/10
Martinez replaced Boateng and endured a tricky cameo, although he won each of the duels he contested.
Leroy Sane: 7/10
On for the final 20 minutes, Sane scored the match-winner with a composed finish and hardly put a foot wrong.
