Having lost the first leg of their Uefa Champions League last 16 clash with Bayern Munich 5-1 last month, Arsene Wenger said that salvaging professional pride, rather than the tie, was Arsenal‘s goal in the return fixture on Tuesday night.
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Only one Champions League tie has seen a greater margin of victory for a team – Bayern Munich v Sporting Lisbon (12-1, 2009). “What needs to change is the result in the next game”. Sure enough, 5-1 down after its collapse in the second half three weeks ago, Arsenal went ahead after 20 minutes, with Walcott tearing past Xabi Alonso and David Alaba before hammering his finish past Manuel Neuer. You look at what really happened, and the guy behind the line gives the penalty and the red card when the referee had given a yellow.
Facing familiar foes Bayern Munich in the Champion’s league, Round of 16, Arsenal had a mammoth task in front of them.
Rumours have been rife that Alexis Sanchez will be the latest Arsenal star to depart the club after another frustrating season at the Emirates. Ramos headed in from a corner seven minutes into the second half.
They remain London’s biggest and best-supported club, despite Chelsea’s rise over the past decade, and are second-only to Manchester United in terms of Premier League average attendances.
Bayern winger Franck Ribery gave a less glowing appraisal of his fellow Frenchman’s current predicament, but he too won’t write off Wenger just yet.
He’s even below Mesut Ozil (115.2m/min), the man whose name usually crops up when the accusations of laziness are being bandied around by disgruntled Arsenal fans.
But just consider Arsenal’s strengths and how poorly the club is playing its hand.
With Arsenal bracing themselves for another underwhelming Champions League last-16 exit, we chose to take a closer look at their running statistics in this season’s competition.
Footy Headlines, who are generally accurate with this type of thing, have a leaked image of Arsenal’s new away kit for next season, and it’s a break from tradition.
But Bayern eased any pressure on themselves as Lewandowski tucked home a penalty after Koscielny brought down the Polish striker when through on goal.
“I still must say my team has produced a huge effort tonight and played very well”. There’s also uncertainty over the future, with Wenger out of contract at the end of the season.
Around 200 fans held up banners.
The defeat was Arsenal’s biggest ever at the Emirates Stadium, and is sure to compound speculation over his own future following a hard spell.
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Play was halted nearly immediately after the opening whistle, as fans chucked toilet paper on to the pitch in protest of the high ticket prices.
