Arsenal 1 Bayern Munich 5 (2-10 on agg): Gunners crash out after another Euro embarrassment in their biggest ever defeat at the Emirates marred by protests at boss Arsene Wenger
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BAYERN MUNICH crushed Arsenal's dreams of a historic Champions League night as Gunners fans led an anti-Arsene Wenger protest outside the Emirates.
Arsenal always knew they had a tough job on their hands following an abysmal 5-1 defeat in the first leg at the Allianz Arena but ended up suffering their biggest-ever loss at home tonight.
But an early goal from Theo Walcott raised the possibility of a shock upset and a place in the quarter-finals of Europe's elite competition.
The winger was rewarded for a strong run into the box as his shot across goal flew into the opposite corner of the net.
And some nice link-up play with Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud – a late replacement for Danny Welbeck in the starting XI – could have resulted in a second soon after.
There was a controversial moment as Walcott was denied a penalty after being clearly bundled over by Xabi Alonso in the Bayern penalty area.
But a lapse in concentration saw Lewandowski end up one-on-one with David Ospina, although the Pole scuffed his shot wide.
Giroud then missed a glorious opportunity to put Arsenal two-up minutes into the second half when he headed wide while unmarked.
Mats Hummels then found the Gunners goal but was deemed to be offside before Laurent Koscielny gave away a penalty for a clumsy foul.
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After some confusion, the Frenchman received a straight red card before Lewandowski stepped up to score Bayern's equaliser on the night.
The Germans soon started to run rampant, with veteran Arjen Robben taking advantage of some careless play by Sanchez to slot home in the 67th minute.
Lewandowski then hit the post before Douglas Costa scored a glorious curling effort from outside the box ten minutes later.
Arturo Vidal compounded Arsenal's misery with a cheeky finish in the 79th minute before finding another goal with five minutes remaining.
Gunners fans soon started pulling out more 'Wenger Out' banners as the Frenchman squirmed in the dugout.
And only time will tell if he is indeed handed a fresh deal following a new low at the Emirates.
In a final humiliation, Alexis Sanchez - who returned to the starting XI after being left out in the 3-1 defeat at Liverpool at the weekend - was seen laughing on the bench after he had been subbed.
FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS
- About 150 fans marched from the old Marble Halls at Highbury to the Emirates Armoury before the game to protest against Arsene Wenger being offered another new contract.
- Wenger is the only manager to have lost in the final of three different European competitions. His Monaco team were beaten in the 1992 Cup-Winners’ Cup final before Arsenal lost the UEFA Cup final in 2000 and the Champions League final to Barcelona in 2006.
- This was Wenger’s 191st Champions League game as Arsenal boss and, quite possibly, his last after bowing out in the last 16 for the seventh year in a row.
- Wenger’s pre-match planning was thrown into chaos when Danny Welbeck was taken ill during the warm-up, forcing Arsenal to start with Olivier Giroud up front instead. It was the second time in three years that the Gunners had faced Bayern with only six subs. In 2014 Ryo Miyaichi wasn’t allowed on the bench because he hadn’t been registered for the Champions League.
- Arsenal certainly lived up to their promise to take the game to Bayern but Theo Walcott and Giroud were unable to capitalise on good early opportunities to give the Germans something to think about.
- Manuel Neuer is supposed to be the best keeper in the world but he won’t be happy with his part in Arsenal’s opening goal, when he totally failed to react to Walcott’s angled shot inside his near post.
- The travelling Bayern fans were far from impressed with Arsenal’s pricing policy. A huge banner in perfect English read: ‘London £64, the greed knows no limits’
- Walcott was like a man possessed, squaring up to Mats Hummels after being accused of diving in the box before he was booked for another face-to-face confrontation with David Alaba.
- Nobody gave more for the cause than Alexis Sanchez, who clearly had a point to prove after being dropped at Liverpool at the weekend. He was here, there and everywhere and didn’t pause for breath all evening.
- Arsenal faint hopes finally died when Laurent Koscielny was sent-off for bringing down Robert Lewandowski in the area. Greek ref Tasos Sidiropoulos originally only showed a yellow card to the Gunners captain but changed his mind on the advice of one of his assistants behind the goal.
Arsenal next five fixtures
Lincoln City (H): 11 Mar – FA
West Brom (A): 18 Mar – Prem
Man City (H): 2 Apr – Prem
West Ham (H): 5 Apr – Prem
Crystal Palace (A): 10 Apr – Prem
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
Arsenal: Ospina 5, Bellerin 6, Mustafi 5, Koscielny 5, Monreal 6, Xhaka 5, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7, Ramsey 6 (Coquelin 6), Walcott 7, Giroud 6 (Ozil 5), Sanchez 6 (Perez 5)
Subs not used: Gibbs, Gabriel, Cech, Welbeck (injured in warm-up)
Goal: Walcott 20’
Booked: Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Xhaka
Sent Off: Koscielny
Bayern Munich: Neuer 5, Rafinha 7, Martinez 6, Hummels 6, Alaba 6, Alonso 8, Vidal 9, Robben 8 (Costa 8), Thiago 7 (Kimmich 6), Ribery 7 (Sanches 6), Lewandowski 8
Subs not used: Bernat, Muller, Ulreich, Coman
Goals: Lewandowski 55’ (pen), Robben 68’, Costa 78’, Vidal 80’, 85’
Booked: Martinez, Alaba
STAR MAN: Arturo Vidal
SOCIAL SAYS
WHAT THEY SAID
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "We produced the game we wanted, we were unlucky with the referee's decisions. The red card killed us but we produced a huge effort and played very well.
"It's just not serious, I'm absolutely revolted [by the ref], and feel sorry for people who pay money to watch these types of games.
"I felt we were in it, it doesn't reflect our performance. The second half was killed by the ref. But let's keep that spirit and play the next game."