Online Reporter
TOTTENHAM on Sunday afternoon, Harry Kane on Wednesday night.
What a week it’s been for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal – dishing out good hidings to those they love to hate the most.
After substitutes Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli had sent Arsenal clear at the summit of the Champions League table, with its only 100 per cent record, Bayern Munich suffered scornful cries of “are you Tottenham in disguise?”
Former Spurs goal-machine Kane, never a popular visitor here, had riled the locals by claiming that the trend towards set-piece dominance had made Premier League football less entertaining to watch this season.
So dead-ball specialists Arsenal, naturally, grabbed the lead from a corner – Jurrien Timber’s header being cancelled out by Bayern’s teenage starlet Lennart Karl before half-time.
Yet with Declan Rice outstanding and Arteta’s strength in depth again apparent from the impact of his subs, the Gunners earned a thoroughly-deserved victory which made their passage into the last 16 as good as certain.
Madueke’s winner was his first goal for Arsenal – nicely timed before he returns to his former club Chelsea for a meeting of the Premier League’s top two. The England winger had not been a popular signing in the summer yet he had impressed for club and country before a two-month injury lay-off and will now be raring for a crack at the club who sold him for £52million.
According to Uefa’s monster group-stage table, these were the two finest clubs in Europe – and both well clear in their domestic leagues too.
Bayern arrived here on the back of 17 wins from 18 unbeaten matches this season, having scored a whopping 64 goals in the process.
Kane had netted 24 of them – and had scored six previous goals at the Emirates, five of them from the penalty spot.
The England captain was struggling to get involved early on. At one point, he was back on the edge of his own box tussling with Bukayo Saka.
On the rare occasions he touched the ball, there were pantomime boos but none of the spite from North London derbies gone by and none of the fervour we’d have heard had this been a knock-out match.
Bayern used to eject Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal teams from Europe most seasons and they also defeated Arteta’s side in the quarter-final two seasons ago but the Gunners were the sharper side.
William Saliba headed wide from a Rice free-kick and on 22 minutes they were in front from – guess what – a corner.
Saka delivered to the front post, where Timber netted with a glancing header.
Manuel Neuer complained long and hard as did his manager Vincent Kompany but unless goalkeepers can claim free-kicks for having weak flapping hands in the Bundesliga, it was difficult to work out their gripe.
Eberechi Eze, the hat-trick hero of Sunday’s derby evisceration, had started quietly.
Yet he showed great feet to bring down a long ball and exchange passes with Mikel Merino only to drag his shot wide under pressure.
So Arsenal were very much ascendant when Bayern equalised.
Joshua Kimmich sprayed a diagonal pass out to Michael Olise and Eze’s former Crystal Palace mate nipped behind Myles Lewis-Skelly to cushion a volleyed centre for the 17-year-old Karl to lash home. It was the first goal Arsenal had shipped in the Champions League this season – although they still hadn’t conceded to an adult.
Soon, Josip Stanisic was squandering a chance to give Bayern the lead, shooting wide across goal as Arsenal hit the snooze button.
Leandro Trossard was forced off through injury and replaced by Madueke before Arteta threw a wobbler, demanding a booking for Konrad Laimer, earning a yellow for himself. – Sun
