Chelsea vs Bayern Munich. UEFA Champions League First Knockout Round.
Stamford BridgeAttendance36,761.
Gnabry double and Robert Lewandowski strike put Bayern in control of Champions League last-16 tie
Wednesday 26 February 2020 07:05, UK
Serge Gnabry's double inspired Bayern Munich as 10-man Chelsea were humbled 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Stamford Bridge.
Gnabry, who scored four goals against Spurs in a 7-2 group-stage win in October, netted an exquisite quick double (51, 54) to put Bayern in control before Robert Lewandowski added a third (76) as the Bundesliga champions outclassed Frank Lampard's team.
Marcos Alonso was sent off seven minutes from time for a flailing arm to complete a miserable evening for the hosts.
The result leaves Chelsea with a monumental task in the second leg on March 18, with Jorginho also set to miss out after picking up a second-half booking.
Bayern had the better of the opening chances, with Kingsley Coman hammering an effort into the side of the net before Willy Caballero made the first of three superb first-half saves from Lewandowski, the first seeing the ball away from close range. In the 25th minute, Chelsea also had their first chance, but Ross Barkley's fizzing cross just missed the incoming Mason Mount at the far post.
Caballero's next two saves came in quick succession just before the half-hour mark. The first saw the Chelsea goalkeeper get down low to save a weak Lewandowski shot before throwing his body in front of another effort from the Poland international as Bayern increased the heat on their hosts.
Chelsea once again failed to convert a gilt-edged cross in the 35th minute. Mateo Kovacic slotted the ball into the feet of Mount inside the area, but his inviting pass could not be converted by Olivier Giroud, who just need a toe to send it home. A minute later and Chelsea were almost punished as Thomas Muller pinged an effort onto the crossbar with the back of his head, but the Blues made it to half-time with the scores level.
The second half did not begin well for Chelsea as Jorginho was booked for dissent four minutes after the break, meaning he will miss the return leg in Munich. It went from bad and to worse not long after as Bayern broke the deadlock.
A slip from Cesar Azpilicueta allowed Gnabry to nip in before picking out Lewandowski down the left. The striker then cut the ball back for his team-mate in the middle of the area, with the former Arsenal player hammering a shot past Caballero as Bayern took a deserved lead.
Three minutes later, and Gnabry nabbed his second after another link-up with Lewandowski. They played a neat move near the centre circle before the former drove down the field. He raced into the area with no one able to stop him and slotted home into the far corner.
There were half-chances for both sides as the game went on but it was Bayern who added a third in the 76th minute. The impressive Alphonso Davies used his explosive pace to bamboozle Chelsea, skipping over two challenges before driving into the area. He then squared the ball for Lewandowski, who slotted home to increase Bayern's grip on the tie.
But Chelsea's miserable half did not end there. With seven minutes of normal time to play, they were reduced to 10 men as Alonso caught Lewandowski in the face with a flailing arm. Referee Clement Turpin was advised by VAR the incident needed to be checked and after consulting the pitchside monitor, Alonso was shown a straight red card and will miss out on the reverse fixture in Germany.
There were plenty of man-of-the-match contenders on Tuesday. Gnbary scored two wonderful goals, Muller and Davies were hugely impressive but it was Lewandowski who had a hand in all three strikes and he is once again hard to ignore.
He forced three sensational saves from Caballero in the first half before assisting both of Gnabry's goals and scored the third as he once again proved why he is one of the best strikers in Europe. He will be difficult to keep quiet in the reverse fixture on March 18.
Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard: "That's football at this level. The levels of Bayern Munich were fantastic. They are a really strong team and unless we were to get everything right and bang on, it was going to be a tough night potentially.
"We didn't get everything bang on. We weren't confident on the ball. That was my biggest disappointment from start to finish.
"Sometimes you have to be brutally honest about it and they outclassed us. It's quite sobering. I'm disappointed we couldn't have done better against them, but it's a real reality check for everyone individually in the dressing room."
Bayern Munich manager Hans-Dieter Flick: "I've known Gnabry quite a long time. I saw how he played at Arsenal and I was very intensive in the way I followed his career and also when he played for the national team and you could just tell what he could do.
"Playing in Germany he's now just doing fantastically well and with Bayern he's really developing well, he's really capable, he's got very good skills, so looking at it that way I'm very happy he's in Germany with us.
"Of course it was a really good result for us. The team performed exactly as we had planned. We were very concentrated, very focused to the way we played, and that's the reason why we could win 3-0."
Nick Wright at Stamford Bridge:
"There were times during the second half at Stamford Bridge, as the red shirts flooded forward and the travelling fans bounced in unison behind the Chelsea goal, that Frank Lampard, usually a restless figure on the touchline, could only slump in his seat, as powerless as his players."
Alan Smith on The Debate:
"Bayern were just too much for Chelsea. It's a big down after such a great performance against Tottenham - they were all about intensity on Saturday but they couldn't manage it against Bayern, who took charge in the second half and romped home. Chelsea didn't seem to believe they could get back into the game - it was one of those nights. If they kept it to 2-0 then they could have gone to Munich with half a chance. However, at 3-0 the second leg looks a formality."
Chelsea will be in Premier League action on Saturday with a trip to Bournemouth (kick-off 3pm) while Bayern Munich also travel to Hoffenheim (kick-off 2.30pm). The return leg of this fixture will be on Wednesday, March 18 (kick-off 8pm) at the Allianz Arena.
