Gunners face exit after second half capitulation in UEFA champions league versus Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena haven been gunned down 5-1 in first leg encounter.
Arjen Robben fired Bayern Munich into lead before Alexis Sanchez equaliser. But Arsenal fell behind as Robert Lewandowski and Thiago Alcantara (2) struck. Thomas Muller came off the substitute's bench to score a fifth goal late on.
Laurent Koscielny limped off through injury at start of the second half.
Arsenal's Champions League hopes lie in tatters at the last-16 stage yet again following a first-leg battering at Bayern Munich.
The Gunners, who have been eliminated in the first knockout round of the competition in each of the last six seasons, twice by Bayern, not only conceded five goals but over 75% possession in Germany.
Their challenge lasted until the break thanks to Alexis Sanchez, who followed up his own missed penalty to equalise after Arjen Robben's superbly-struck 25-yard opener.
But after Arsenal lost Laurent Koscielny to injury early in the second half, Bayern ran riot during a 10-minute period in which Robert Lewandowski headed home before Thiago Alcantara scored twice. Substitute Thomas Muller rubbed salt in the wounds with a late fifth.
It leaves Arsenal with a near impossible task in the second leg and heaps more pressure on manager Arsene Wenger, who now only has the FA Cup as a realistic source of silverware in what will go down as another failed season.
Arsenal’s European hopes are all-but over for another season as a second-half collapse against Bayern Munich left Arsene Wenger facing fresh questions about his Emirates future.
The Gunners went into the half-time dressing room level after Alexis Sanchez cancelled out Arjen Robben’s equaliser, when he slotted home the second rebound from his saved penalty.
After growing in confidence throughout the first half, all of the Gunners good work was undone in the second half, as Robert Lewandowski put the hosts ahead again before a Thiago Alcantara brace put the Germans in the driving seat. Substitute Thomas Muller’s fifth added insult to injury.
The Gunners now have a mountain to climb in next month’s Champions League last-16 second leg.
Arsenal have a mammoth task to try and turn this Champions League tie around in the second leg, but the bigger story is Arsene Wenger’s future.
Will this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?
Plenty of fans want him to go but what will he do next? Certainly one to keep an eye on?
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger seems to know it is time to go after being thrashed by Bayern Munich , claims Lee Dixon.
Dixon admits he is sad to see his former boss appear so dejected, concluding that he appears to know his time is up now.
“It saddens me to see him like that, I know what a winner he is,” Dixon told ITV Football. “That level is not good enough, the team are bereft [of ideas].
“I look at that team and I see a nice team - that’s not what wins you championships. I think he realises, he seems so low. This team is getting no response from him.
“It’s so obvious that they fight for so long and then they lose inspiration. He owes it to himself to change that. It is he who will pull the rug from under his own turf. I think he thinks it’s time [to go]. I’ve never seen him like that before.”
It has to be said that Bayern have been much the better team on the match day.
I mean obviously you can tell that from the score, but 1-1 at half-time didn’t really tell the whole story.
The Gunners had just 20% possession after 45 minutes but were somehow level thanks to a late penalty.
This second half, though, the Germans have made that pressure pay and are rightly leading by three goals.
around in the second leg, but the bigger story is Arsene Wenger’s future.
Will this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?
Plenty of fans want him to go but what will he do next?
Wenger looks like he knows his time is up, claims Lee Dixon
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger seems to know it is time to go after being thrashed by Bayern Munich , claims Lee Dixon. The Gunners were hammered 5-1 in the first leg of the last 16 Champions League tie to all but end their hopes of glory in Europe. And Dixon admits he is sad to see his former boss appear so dejected, concluding that he appears to know his time is up now.
“It saddens me to see him like that, I know what a winner he is,” Dixon told ITV Football. “That level is not good enough, the team are bereft [of ideas].
“I look at that team and I see a nice team - that’s not what wins you championships. I think he realises, he seems so low. This team is getting no response from him.
“It’s so obvious that they fight for so long and then they lose inspiration. He owes it to himself to change that. It is he who will pull the rug from under his own turf. I think he thinks it’s time [to go]. I’ve never seen him like that before.”
Ancelotti speaks:
We have the advantage.
Unsurprisingly Carlo Ancelotti is a happy man.
The Bayern boss after the game said:
“The result is really important, we have the advantage.
“We have to prepare for the game in London well - we want to play the same as we did tonight.
“We want to avoid problems. This is only one game.”
MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 14: Team coach of FC Bayern Muenchen Carlo Ancelotti smiles as he leaves a press conference on February 14, 2017 in Munich, Germany. Bayern Muenchen will play Arsenal FC in the Champions League Round of Sixteen first leg match on Wednesday.
ARSENE WENGER GIVES DEJECTED INTERVIEW AFTER BAYERN DEFEAT
“It’s difficult to explain,” he says to BT Sport’s Des Kelly, when asked to explain where it all went wrong. “I think we were unlucky on the second goal - the referee gives a corner for us, the ball is on the pitch and we concede the second goal. I think the most important thing in the second half is we lost Koscielny very early and it looked like we collapsed. We mentally collapsed.”
Asked if the loss of Koscielny is a good enough excuse, he adds: “Bayern is a better team than us. I have to say well done to Bayern ... they were better than us tonight. I felt the third goal was a killer for our players because after that we had no response. How I feel isn’t important, but of course it is disappointing. We need to recover and focus on our next game.”
He looked seriously rattled and defeat in their next match: away at Sutton United in the FA Cup could finish him off altogether.
The last 25 minutes were a nightmare, Wenger confessed.
After the game he described the final 25 minutes as a “nightmare”.
“The last 25 minutes were a nightmare for us. We didn’t have an answer.”
“It was a strange game. In the first half we played quite well. We had two chances just before half-time. After that we got a few blows.
“After the third goal, we lost our organisations and we looked very jaded mentally and vulnerable.”
At a time when the Arsenal boss is under scrutiny like never before, the Gunners were absolutely hammered 5-1 by Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie on Wednesday night.
Three goals in the space of 10 second half minutes completely took the game away from the Gunners, and Wenger was left with no answers and plenty of critics on Twitter, including the former Gunners striker Ian Wright, expressed sadness.
STARTING LINE-UP
Bayern Munich XI:
Neuer, Lahm, Javi Martinez, Hummels, Alaba, Alonso, Thiago, Vidal, Robben (Rafinha), Douglas Costa (Kimmich), Lewandowski (Muller)
Arsenal starting XI:
Ospina, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny (Gabriel), Gibbs, Coquelin (Giroud), Xhaka, Iwobi (Walcott), Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez
Iwobi's stats
Iwobi v Bayern:
12 passes completed
1 interception
0 shots on target
0 chances created
0 crosses
0 take-ons
0 tackles
0 aerial duels
Waste
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