LONDON — Arsenal hammered out a warning to Europe’s top teams by extending their perfect start to the UEFA Champions League’s league phase with a 3-1 win against Bayern Munich, which confirms their status as favorites to win the competition.
Goals by Jurriën Timber, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli sent Bayern crashing to their first defeat in all competitions this season and sent the Gunners three points clear of the chasing pack at the top of the table.
Lennart Karl‘s first-half equalizer had given Bayern hope of maintaining their unbeaten record, but Arsenal proved too strong in the second half, and Mikel Arteta’s substitutes — Madueke and Martinelli both coming off the bench — made match-winning contributions.
In a fiery game, both Arteta and Bayern coach Vincent Kompany were yellow-carded for touchline protests, but it was Arsenal who held their nerve to claim a significant victory. — Mark Ogden
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Arsenal win the battle of perfection
Both sides went into this game with perfect Champions League records this season, but it is Arsenal who end Wednesday with theirs intact after a powerful second-half display at Emirates Stadium.
They had to work hard for this. After a slow start, Bayern gradually began to control the opening 45 minutes, restricting Arsenal to just 37.4% possession. That was Arsenal’s lowest first-half figure since losing to Liverpool in January 2022. Arteta has spoken about trying to appear calmer on the touchline, but there was little evidence of that here as Bayern posed a major test to his in-form side.
Yet they found the second-half solutions to wrestle back the advantage and secure another win, which promotes their Champions League credentials.
Top of the league at home and in Europe, the Gunners are right where they want to be. Win at Chelsea on Sunday and they will come through their toughest week of the season yet looking unstoppable. — James Olley
Kane’s no-show becomes worry for Bayern
Harry Kane had an off night for Bayern at the Emirates and that will have stung the England captain pretty badly, considering his connection to Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal’s bitter North London rivals.
The 32-year-old struggled against Arsenal’s robust center backs William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera and his lack of impact up front might explain why he spent so much time dropping deep to go in search of the ball.
There can be no doubt that Kane is enjoying a remarkable season for Bayern, with 24 goals in 18 games before this Champions League clash. But in Bayern’s biggest, or certainly toughest, games of the season, he has failed to score, blanking against Paris Saint-Germain and now Arsenal.
So is Kane still one of the world’s most fearsome strikers, or is he beginning to fall short against the best teams and defenders? That’s a question that will nag at Bayern as they look ahead to the second half of the season and the knockout stages, where they will have to overcome the best teams in Europe to win the Champions League.
Bayern need Kane scoring in the biggest games, so he has to sharpen up against the top sides. — Ogden
Tough night for Lewis-Skelly
Arsenal made only two changes to the lineup that thrashed Tottenham 4-1 on Sunday, with one of those Myles Lewis-Skelly‘s introduction at left back for Riccardo Calafiori. It didn’t work. Lewis-Skelly was repeatedly targeted by Bayern, and the brilliant diagonal ball for Karl’s equalizing goal took advantage of poor positioning from the 19-year-old, allowing Serge Gnabry to drift in behind him.
Karl and then Michael Olise beat Lewis-Skelly far too easily midway through the second half, and Arteta reacted by substituting him moments later. To make matters worse for Lewis-Skelly, Calafiori had a positive impact seconds after coming on, powering down the left to cross for Madueke’s winning goal.
All of this took place in front of England manager Thomas Tuchel, watching in the stands just a few weeks after dropping Lewis-Skelly from his squad amid a lack of game time. The teenager is a fine talent, but a response is required. — Olley
Timber and Rice show their worth
It was noticeable that while Arteta was willing to alter his defense, he kept Timber in the lineup despite Ben White sitting patiently as his highly experienced replacement.
Jurriën Timber is undoubtedly an excellent defender, but with Gabriel Magalhães sidelined through injury, the Dutchman’s ability from set pieces is even more important to the cause. Arsenal’s opening goal was a reminder, with Timber making that familiar run from far post to near and glancing a finish past Manuel Neuer. Bayern boss Kompany wanted a foul, but the truth is Neuer wasn’t strong enough.
A key reason Arsenal turned the second half in their favor was Declan Rice‘s all-action midfield display. He helped drive Arsenal forward and, aided by two substitutes scoring — or “finishers” as Arteta calls them — Bayern were overpowered. Nobody had more touches of the ball for Arsenal than Rice’s 66, and only Saliba had more defensive interventions for the home side. — Olley
These two giants will only get stronger in the competition
Arsenal and Bayern will be among the favorites to win the Champions League final in Budapest next May because they have dominated the league stage so far.
And the bad news for the other clubs vying to win it is that both sides will only get stronger in the second half of the campaign. Arsenal have been without Kai Havertz for much of the season, and Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel are also sidelined right now with injuries.
But all three should be back and ready to have an impact when the knockout stages begin, and the same applies to Bayern’s missing players. Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala are due back soon following long-term injuries, while the suspended Luis DÃaz will also return for the key knockout games.
So if you want to back a team to win the Champions League, don’t look beyond Arsenal and Bayern. — Ogden