Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich: Gunners shred Germans’ cloak of invincibility as Mikel Arteta teaches Vincent Kompany a lesson with statement Champions League win

An announcement efficiency from Arsenal yielded a press release win.

Beating a meek and gentle Tottenham within the north London derby is one factor, downing a sizzling and hungry Bayern Munich three days later fairly one other.

Vincent Kompany’s German champions arrived in London carrying a cloak of invincibility. Arsenal tore it from them and hung it from the ramparts of Fortress Emirates.

Bayern, unbeaten all season, got a lesson right here. Arsenal had been faster, stronger and largely simply higher.

A decent recreation at half-time — Bayern teenager Lennart Karl cancelling out a Jurrien Timber header — it was nothing prefer it within the second interval. Arsenal had been rampant, Bayern in determined and at occasions undignified retreat.

And when Gabriel Martinelli skipped previous a stranded Manuel Neuer to attain a 3rd objective within the 77th minute, so as to add to Noni Madueke’s second eight minutes earlier, Bayern had reached the stage the place they simply wished to get out of right here with dignity.

Gabriel Martinelli tapped residence into an open objective to seal the three factors for Mikel Arteta’s males

Not so dissimilar to Tottenham in spite of everything, then.

Nearly every thing Arteta and Arsenal contact turns to gold for the time being. This can be a workforce that haven’t misplaced since taking place 1-0 at Liverpool in August. How way back that appears.

Right here, Arteta’s substitutions helped his workforce win the sport, Madueke and Martinelli scoring and Riccardo Calafiori helping for the second. Martin Odegaard additionally returned to motion from the bench. An ideal evening for Arsenal and what a efficiency of such dominance and vitality will do for these gamers is clear.

With every large victory, so grows the sensation Arsenal can go the place they’ve threatened to for thus lengthy. And when a recreation is gained in such style, when a giant identify opponent isn’t just crushed however brushed apart, horizons widen. Arsenal are favourites to win the Premier League and this end result places them within the dialog for European soccer’s large prize, too.

Briefly, in the beginning, Bayern had been the higher workforce, dominating possession like few groups have accomplished right here. However nonetheless a well-recognized factor occurred: Arsenal scored.

Harry Kane, the scorer of 24 targets this season however with no sniff right here, had stated the day earlier than the sport he thought the Premier League was shedding a few of its attract because the return of set-piece targets and direct soccer made itself identified throughout the nation. A minimum of the England captain knew what was coming, then.

Twenty-two minutes had handed when Bukayo Saka took a nook on the proper. Neuer was barged a bit earlier than the ball got here in however was unimpeded by the point he made a slipshod try to beat Timber to the ball. Neuer was late on the scene and Timber glanced the ball in from six yards.

‘Foul on the goalkeeper’ was the clear plea from Kompany to the fourth official however there was nothing doing. Bayern had been undone by one of many smallest gamers on the sphere and had been now dealing with an actual problem.

Jurrien Timber headed previous Manuel Neuer to attain Arsenal’s opener halfway by way of the primary half

Promising Bayern star Lennart Karl, 17, introduced Bayern degree earlier than the Gunners took management

Noni Madueke restored Arsenal’s benefit, changing an excellent Riccardo Calafiori cross

The style of the victory noticed Arteta’s facet lay down a marker to the remainder of Europe

Briefly they threatened to satisfy it because the Germans broke to attain fabulously. It was direct soccer however with a little bit of razzmatazz.

Joshua Kimmich’s raking go to the proper wing discovered Serge Gnabry with the run on Myles Lewis-Skelly and his very good volley squared the ball to 17-year-old Karl, who rammed it previous David Raya. It was top-of-the-line targets scored right here this season and the competitors is excessive.

Arsenal had been briefly shocked and Arteta was booked for screaming for a free-kick. However the second half introduced solely Arsenal strain. Bayern couldn’t stay with the house workforce’s depth.

Declan Rice was fabulous, a continuing menace within the centre of the sphere, as had been many others.

Bayern, in the meantime, didn’t deal with Arsenal’s corners all evening. The house workforce had 4 within the first quarter-hour of the second half and will have scored from all of them. Kompany grew ever extra agitated and he too was booked.

Arsenal’s second objective got here within the 69th minute and had its roots in a Bayern mistake as Dayot Upamecano handed the ball straight to Rice. However when he slipped in Calafiori, Arsenal’s ruthlessness was clear. A cross to the far put up discovered Madueke hungrier than two opponents and he arrived first to attain.

In amongst all this, Bayern created only one probability, Karl making a mug of Lewis-Skelly earlier than taking pictures too near Raya. Lewis-Skelly — enjoying in entrance of England coach Thomas Tuchel — is not going to be going to subsequent summer time’s World Cup if he performs like this. His efficiency was the one disappointment right here.

It was a niggly recreation at occasions and Italian referee Marco Guida struggled to regulate it. However Madueke’s objective freed Arsenal to play with much more confidence and vitality and the third objective was a horror present for Neuer.

The nice goalkeeper will flip 40 in March and he had a foul evening right here, capped by a choice to sprint out to beat the onrushing Martinelli to the ball with 13 minutes left. Neuer was by no means going to get there.

As Martinelli rolled the ball into an empty internet, victory was clinched and a realisation dawned that this Arsenal workforce could have what it takes to do one thing outstanding this season.