Henrikh Mkhitaryan's Impressive Season Continues with Stellar Display vs. Bremen

Borussia Dortmund beat Werder Bremen, 3-1, on Saturday's Matchday 11 of the Bundesliga. Marco Reus scored a brace, but he wasn't the Man of the Match.

That distinction went to Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who added another stellar display to his impressive season under Dortmund's new head coach, Thomas Tuchel.

It felt like karma played a role after the Armenian was hit with an object by a Bremen supporter as he was going into the tunnel at the conclusion of pregame warm-ups. "The perpetrator was apprehended and taken out of the stadium," reported ESPN FC. "The object appeared to be crumpled cardboard."

Mkhitaryan didn't make a big deal out of the incident, rather choosing to make his statement on the field. 

Dortmund's No. 10 oozed class and confidence for the entire 90 minutes, having a hand in all three goals for his side. The Armenia international has developed into a talisman of sorts; Dortmund have won all 14 Bundesliga games in which he found the net, according to the club's website.

Joerg Sarbach/Associated Press

On a day when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was unusually wasteful with his goalscoring opportunities, failing to beat Bremen's 'keeper Felix Wiedwald twice in one-on-one situations and hitting Theodor Gebre Selassie on the goal line the one time he did manage to get past Wiedwald, Mkhitaryan's performance was the key for Dortmund's success.

His assist for Reus' first goal in the ninth minute was somewhat lucky, as the video below shows. His ball across goal obviously was meant for Aubameyang and only found his way onto Reus' right foot via the deflection from Wiedwald.

For the rest of the first half, Dortmund struggled. It's not a stretch to say those were the worst 30-odd minutes they've played this season. Defensively, they were disorganised, with Bremen getting lots of free runs on Dortmund's defenders, and they didn't create much of anything going forward. 

Thomas Tuchel lamented this after the game, relayed by the club's official website: "We were not able to stop all of Bremen's counter-attacks early on. Taking a 2-1 lead in at the break was definitely a bit lucky."

That lucky lead was thanks to Mats Hummels' outrageous outside-of-the-boot cross and Mkhitaryan's clever run to steal away from his marker, young left-back Janek Sternberg. The diving header was a chance this season's Mkhitaryan was never going to miss.

"

El gol de Mkhitaryan para que el Dortmund tome la ventaja antes de ir al descanso. pic.twitter.com/8RkVrZReSn https://t.co/tqb4O7aKm8

— LOCO X EL FÚTBOL® (@LOCOXELFUTTBOL) October 31, 2015"

In the second half, Dortmund were much more in control. Julian Weigl told German broadcaster Sky after the game that the team collectively thought up the adjustments during intermission, with patience and tempo the main points.

They didn't allow Bremen to come into dangerous positions in the second half, as the only highlight for the hosts was Zlatko Junuzovic nutmegging former Werder player Sokratis Papastathopoulos three times in a span of a few seconds.

"

Papastathopoulos subisce 3 tunnel nel giro di 10 secondi  pic.twitter.com/jfi0QY3DZz

— Andrea Poma (@andypoma87) October 31, 2015"

Aubameyang's three misses could have made for a frantic final phase of the game, but Mkhitaryan's incredible through ball for Reus' second goal effectively killed the game as a contest. It was the kind of creative spark Dortmund fans have become accustomed to from their No. 10 this year.

Mkhitaryan's stellar display earned him top marks from ESPN FC, WAZ, Ruhr Nachrichten and SPOX.com.

His two assists and one goal mean the 26-year-old has been involved in 23 goals in 18 appearances this season, per Transfermarkt. Easily his club's most consistent player thus far, Mkhitaryan has firmly quietened the talk of his being a transfer flop.

Until this season, Mkhitaryan had, by and large, failed to live up to his €27 million price tag, often crumbling under pressure and only occasionally teasing his other-worldly potential.

Little over four months into Tuchel's tenure, the playmaker has made himself indispensable, which, slowly but steadily, puts the focus on his contract situation. Currently signed until 2017, tying down the 26-year-old to a new deal should be atop the to-do list of Dortmund's decision-makers.

The fans of the Black and Yellows have had their say, coining the hashtag "Miki2020" on Twitter.

Mkhitaryan was Dortmund's sleeping giant for most of last year's ill-fated campaign. The sleeping giant has been awake all season. He didn't need poking. The Weser-Stadion crowd learned the hard way.

Lars Pollmann is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for Yellowwallpod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.