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Although Juan Mata, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney started together for the first time on Saturday, there was no expected improvement in Manchester United's performance as they slumped to an eighth Premier League defeat of the season. David Moyes blamed the result on bad luck and the champions' failure to take their chances, but he also opined: "Overall, I think we played well." He is beginning to sound like a broken record.

This was Stoke's first victory over United since 1984 and the match once again emphasised Moyes' farcical doublethink. "It was a good performance, we just didn't take our chances," said the manager in his post-match interview. But if the performances aren't lacking, then how have United succumbed to five defeats in eight matches in 2014? That isn't merely ill fortune; instead, it points to the absence of a convincing plan to lift the champions out of their malaise.

"I don't know what we have to do to win," Moyes also confessed in his post-match interview, although the admission was hardly necessary. He talked up United hitting the byline "eight or nine times" before cutting the ball back into the middle, but it is precisely this tunnel vision towards the wings that has left a familiar groove to the champions' displays. In the first half, only two of 16 crosses found a teammate. By full-time, United had completed five of 33 deliveries.

Of course, the players are also to blame for executing the manager's plans in such poor fashion, while United were hindered by injuries to Jonny Evans and Phil Jones. But Moyes must work quickly to dismiss the idea that allowing him to sign Mata is like giving a smart phone to your grandparents. That almost half of United's attacks came down the left wing, where Patrice Evra partnered Ashley Young, illustrates the manager's failure to get the most out of his new playmaker. Mata must wonder whether constantly looking for the wide option is the best use of his talents.

That wasn't the only problem with United's display, however, and Moyes' opinion that he still requires a new left-back and central midfielder will have been fortified by Patrice Evra's poor form and Rooney's cameo in midfield. "If you asked me what I needed most, I would have said a central midfielder and a left-back. But sometimes you don't always get the pieces of the jigsaw at the time," he said after signing Mata. It was perhaps odd that Darren Fletcher - a useful piece he does currently possess - remained on the bench when Jones was stretchered off.

For 37 minutes this was possible. For the first eight, it might even have seemed probable. And then Mesut Ozil struck his spot-kick; no power, no precision, and nothing to show for a confident start. Seasons turn on such moments.

The consolation for Arsenal is that this was far from a repeat of last season's humbling at the Emirates, when Bayern Munich cruised into a two-goal lead inside 21 minutes and then sat back with the job done. The Gunners' chances of victory on Wednesday effectively ended when the sleeping Nacho Monreal missed Arjen Robben's run and Wojciech Szczesny brought the forward down for a penalty. But it was cruel that the second-half resistance, fortified by the memory of last year's famous victory in Munich, was eventually penetrated by Thomas Muller.

"The key for Arsenal is to make sure they are still alive in the second leg," said Gary Neville on Sky Sports as the match kicked off. It was a low bar to set and one that Arsenal chose to ignore. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain driving forward from midfield and surprise selection Yaya Sanogo commanding the final third, the Gunners aimed to take the initiative. Their reward was an early penalty that summed up Ozil's contribution in recent weeks. Sublime skill to create the chance, but no end product.

And then Bayern pressed. Whereas Thomas Vermaelen was seen as the weak link at left-back in this fixture last season, on this occasion the Germans targeted Kieran Gibbs, who was afforded little protection by Santi Cazorla. That Gibbs was forced off through injury and replaced by Monreal only made the problem worse. The Spaniard's performances have been open to criticism this season, and it was his mistake that left Szczesny exposed and now suspended for the second leg.

There is no shame in losing with ten men against the reigning champions of Europe, but that doesn't remove the frustration of suffering defeat in this manner. Two years ago, when Arsenal lost 4-0 to AC Milan at this stage of the competition, Arsene Wenger bemoaned his "worst night in Europe". On Wednesday he could have been celebrating one of his best, had Ozil scored from the spot to capitalise on a pulsating opening period. "I think we are in much better mental shape than we were a year ago," said Wenger before the game. But when it mattered most, Ozil's resolve was absent.

As Juan Mata landed at Manchester United's training ground to undergo a medical ahead of his £37m transfer from Chelsea, Liverpool were battling their way to a scrappy 2-0 win over Bournemouth. Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho all started the match, underlining the lack of squad depth available to Brendan Rodgers in the fight for the top four.

Suarez said recently that Liverpool have an advantage in the title race as their leading rivals face gruelling Champions League last-16 ties in February and March, but bridging the eight-point gap to first is no longer the priority for the Reds. In truth, it has never been the priority, despite Rodgers' brief distraction before the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa. The aim this season is to secure a return to the Champions League after a five-year absence, and to do that Liverpool must maintain their lead over the champions - a challenge that suddenly seems a lot more difficult.

As I wrote this week Mata is not a quick fix for United, given David Moyes' failings this season and questions over the quality of the rest of the squad. But Liverpool will be wary of a phenomenon now widely referred to as the 'Ozil effect', when one player can lift the mood of a club to such a degree that anything seems possible. Last season the 'Fergie factor' was a defining feature of United's success, this year the club are pinning their hopes on the force of Mata.

It might be just enough to rein in Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham, with the forthcoming midweek fixtures presenting the champions with the perfect opportunity to close the gap to fourth. However, while Moyes has strengthened and looks set to spend again before the transfer window closes next Friday, Rodgers' hands have remained tied. At one stage, a deal for Mohamed Salah appeared close, but the Reds' interest in the winger ended with the familiar sense of frustration that followed failed pursuits of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Willian in the summer.

The problem for Liverpool is the same as always. The biggest names - such as Mata - remain reluctant to join a club outside the Champions League while the vast majority of alternatives - Fabio Borini, Iago Aspas and Aly Cissokho - simply aren't of the standard required. The Reds worked wonders to bring in Coutinho and Sturridge last January, but the club's business since that double swoop suggests it was the exception that proves the rule.

This was another 'not quite' night for Arsenal that left more questions than answers about the team Arsene Wenger is assembling. How would this tie have finished had Wojciech Szczesny's red card not completely changed the complexion of the first leg? What if Mesut Ozil had scored his early penalty at the Emirates? And how would the Gunners have fared with their strongest XI at the Allianz Arena? That the frustration of Bayern Munich's 2-0 victory in London was only increased by a determined display on Tuesday is testament to the quality Arsenal exhibited in the toughest of tests.

"We can do something special. The only way to do it is to really believe and go for it," said Wenger before kick-off. The absence of a number of players too long to list hindered Arsenal's chances of overturning the deficit, while Ozil's half-time substitution - reportedly because of a hamstring strain - dealt a further blow. This was a full-strength Bayern side against a patchwork opponent. And yet the Gunners held their own.

Bayern had only failed to score more than once at the Allianz in two of 30 fixtures since the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal last March, but on Tuesday they rarely looked like doubling their tally. That was in part due to a commanding performance from Lukasz Fabianski - who saved a late Thomas Muller penalty - but also because of a fear of what the Gunners could do to them on the break. Bayern weren't complacent on this occasion, they were cautious.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain presented the biggest threat. Arsenal had been forced to sit deep in the opening stages but burst into life when the winger hooked the ball out of the air and surged forward on eight minutes. Driving at a back-pedalling desperate Dante, it looked like the youngster was in. A cynical challenge from the defender prevented the chance, but Dante's hack - which earned him a yellow card - was an early warning of the dangers Pep Guardiola had spoken about in his pre-match press conference.

On the half-hour mark Oxlade-Chamberlain broke again. This time he chicaned through four red shirts, moving the ball at speed and with wonderful close control. Philipp Lahm was wiser than Dante, refusing to stick out a foot, but Thiago Alcántara came across to barge the nuisance to the ground. Ten minutes later it was Lahm's turn to produce a body-check. Bayern simply couldn't cope without resorting to brutality, as Oxlade-Chamberlain's six first-half dribbles - three times as many as anyone else on the pitch - resulted in four free-kicks.

It was a fearless display from an exciting talent who has been instrumental in Arsenal's improving performances over recent weeks. The 20-year-old's decision-making was not always perfect - demonstrated by a 74% pass completion rate - but his dynamism offers an escape from the sterile domination which can often blight the Gunners' performances. It was not the key to unlocking Ozil's exceptional range of passing on Tuesday, but Oxlade-Chamberlain's infectious positivity permeated through the rest of the team as the game progressed. Here was Wenger's belief.