This was billed as a clash of two of the best teams in Europe and for most of a cold evening in north London it felt like it. An absorbing game that ebbed and flowed throughout had Bayern Munich’s rising teenager Lennart Karl cancel out Jurrien Timber’s opening goal from a corner before substitutes Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli sealed a deserved win for the home side. It maintains their 100% record in the Champions League and sends them top of the table.
Harry Kane let it slip in the buildup that scoring against Arsenal gives him “a bit more joy” than any other club. But the England striker with 27 goals for his club to his name this season barely had a sniff as a Bayern Munich side that had also won their first four matches in the Champions League group stage and had been unbeaten in 21 previous games this season were taught a lesson. A place in the knockout stages now seems a mere formality.
While it was a night to forget for Myles Lewis-Skelly on a rare start as he was given a severe test by 17-year-old Karl and Leandro Trossard limped off injured before half-time, the return of captain Martin Ødegaard from a knee injury that has kept him out for a month was another reason for Mikel Arteta to be cheerful.
With every week that passes, Arsenal look more like a winning team and perhaps their manager’s pre-game remark that they remain “in a different universe” to the six-time European champions Bayern, having yet to win this competition, could be consigned to history if they can keep this up.
A Premier League showdown with second-placed Chelsea on Sunday will be a further test of their credentials, but at the moment they are passing every test.
“We’ve certainly been very, very consistent in the competition. But it’s just the beginning,” said Arteta. “The energy we created in the stadium, what the team transmits, the energy that we bring, the quality we play with. It’s incredible and we have to maintain that because it’s still very early.”
Bayern’s gameplan seemed to try to take the sting out of a boisterous home crowd still on a high from Sunday’s evisceration of Tottenham. They dominated possession in the opening 20 minutes as Arsenal were restricted to two attempts from set-pieces that were both flagged offside. There was to be no such reprieve when Timber leaped highest at the near post to head in Bukayo Saka’s corner.
Kane admitted grudgingly beforehand that Arsenal have capitalised on the recent proliferation of goals from set-pieces, but Bayern’s defenders were incredibly slow to react as the Dutchman creeped in front of Manuel Neuer to apply the finishing touch.
The goal galvanised Arsenal as the outstanding Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi began to take control in midfield. Bayern were pushed back deeper and one stray pass from Kane was met with hearty jeers.
But after Eberechi Eze could not quite get his shot away after exchanging passes with Mikel Merino, Bayern responded with a sucker punch. A raking ball from the back by Joshua Kimmich picked out the run of Serge Gnabry and his touch was perfect for the diminutive Karl – who became Bayern’s youngest goalscorer in this competition last month and has been tipped for a call-up for Germany’s World Cup squad by the former captain Lothar Matthaus –to fire into the net first time.
Arsenal seemed shellshocked and they could have found themselves behind had Josip Stanisic not dragged his shot wide when Lewis-Skelly was again caught out of position.
There was more bad news for Arsenal when Trossard had to limp off just before the break after receiving treatment. The Belgium forward headed straight down the tunnel and was replaced by Madueke. “He said he felt something, we didn’t want to take any risk,” said Arteta.
Dressed more like he was off to a skatepark in baggy trousers and a hoodie, his opposite number, Vincent Kompany, looked on nervously whenever Bayern conceded a set-piece in the second half. “That’s something they’ve mastered more than anyone else,” he said.
“I don’t think any of us want to be the best team in November. We get to show how we react now.
Merino was inches wide of the target with another header from a corner before Kompany was shown a yellow card for protesting when Dayot Upamecano took out Madueke. The pressure was building.
Somehow Saka did not react quickly enough when Neuer saved with his foot to deny a rampaging Rice and an open goal went begging. It took an error from Upamecano to finally restore their lead as he gave the ball straight to Rice and Riccardo Calafiori’s first involvement after coming off the bench was to set up his fellow substitute Madueke for a tap-in.
Bayern pressed forward in search of an equaliser. Eze’s long ball caught out Neuer on the halfway line and a clever touch from Martinelli with his thigh to take the ball away from the Bayern goalkeeper set up a simple finish and underline that Arsenal definitely means business this time.
