CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 

ARSENAL 3 (Timber 22, Madueke 69, Martinelli 77)

BAYERN MUNICH 1 (Karl 32)

THIS was a strange fixture, without any real tension, but never-the-less a contest between two of the most in form teams in Europe.

Bayern Munich – top of their league and with 100 percent record in Europe – and Arsenal six points clear in the Premierleague and having not conceded a goal in Europe.

Something was going to have to give, as they say.

And give it did.  Bayern – like many other teams who have come to the Emirates to play this season – were beaten into submission in a second half.

Although the visitors enjoyed good possession in the first ten minutes, the tide turned slowly but surely and it could realistically have been 5-1

Jurien Timber scored a header from a Bukayo Saka corner before the young Karl smashed in an equaliser after a precise ball from Kimmich flew over Miles Lewis-Skelly and was steered across the face by Serge Gnabry.

At half time it was 1-1 but, partly due to the Gunners commanding position in the initial league phase and partly due to the way the strength of this Arsenal side, there was no real concern among the fans.

Noni Madueke turned in the second after some powerful play from Ricardo Calafiori – who is a far stronger defender that Skelly and pretty handy going forward too.

It was the returning winger’s first goal for the club.

Gabi Martinelli’s goal was the pick of the bunch. He raced onto a through ball from Eze with Bayern pushing for an equaliser.

Manuel Neuer came well out of his goal he nudged it past him, and charging around the flailing keeper, and calmly passing into an empty net.

After Mikel Arteta said: “Well, they are a top side. I think they haven’t lost in 20 or 21 games and you see the record.

“So you know the difficulty of that. We managed to do that in one game. That’s great and that shows as well the capacity that we have.”

There will be no cheeky trolling from the Bayern Munich social media accoint this week. A blissful silence.

It is almost ten ten years since the 10-2 two-leg mismatch during the death throes of Arsene Wenger.

Just like Atletico, Bayern were run ragged around the 60 minute mark.

The Gunners should have opened the scoring after Leandro Trossaed was sent clean through but his dunked chip sailed wide.

Saka recovered and passed to Declan Rice who scuffed his shot.

Neuer was weak at the corner, flapping the punch, and was no match for Timber who flicked Saka’s delivery in.

After a superb passing move, the inform Eberichi Ese almost tucked away a second.

Skelly was arguably at fault for the goal and he went missing minutes later when Stansic found himself clear and with time to set his shot, but shanked wide.

Arsenal were causing major havoc from corners and should have scored twice in the first half.

Mikel Merino – who got a huge road at the end for his workrate – could have had a hat trick of headers.

Mosquera also had a header well saved from close range

Declan Rice was at his imperious best and almost scored with a powerful run on goal from near the half way line.

His big lunge tackle on Harry Kane got the cheer of the night.

Martin Odegaard came on late back from injury and there was even a few minutes for Ben White.

The only downside was Trossard going off injured in the first half.

Next up Chelsea away.

Arteta said: “You just have to watch the game that they played against Barcelona yesterday to understand how difficult and tough and what a good team Chelsea are.

“So we know tomorrow, we start to prepare and we go from there.

ARSENAL: Raya, Lewis-Skelly (Calafiori 68), Mosquera, Saliba, Timber (White 81), Rice, Zubimendi, Trossard (Madueke 38) Eze (Ødegaard 81), Saka )(Martinelli 68), Merino
Subs not used: Kepa, Hincapié, Nwaneri, Setford, Nørgaard

BAYERN: Neuer, Laimer (Bischof 72),  Tah, Upamecano (Min-Jae 82), Stanišić, Pavlović, Kimmich (Goretzka 81), Gnabry (Jackson 72), Karl (Guerreiro 81), Olise, Kane
Subs not used: Boey, Ito, Mike, Ulreich, Urbig