Bayern humiliates Arsenal again

Arsenal crashed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage for a seventh consecutive season after another 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners put in a spirited first-half display as they looked to overturn a 5-1 deficit from the first leg three weeks ago and deservedly took the lead through Theo Walcott (20) and they could have even had a penalty when the England international went down under a challenge from Xabi Alonso.

But things unravelled for the Gunners early in the second half when Laurent Koscielny brought down Robert Lewandowski in the penalty area. The Frenchman was initially shown a yellow card but that was upgraded to a red much to the disbelief of the Arsenal players.

Lewandowski (55) stepped up to level the scores from the penalty spot before strikes from Arjen Robben (68), substitute Douglas Costa (78) and Arturo Vidal (80, 85) saw Carlo Ancelotti's side heap further humiliation on Arsene Wenger's side.

The 5-1 defeat is the biggest Arsenal have suffered at the Emirates and piles even more pressure on Wenger's position at the club.

Arsenal will look to avoid further embarrassment when they take on non-league Lincoln in the quarter-final of the FA Cup on Saturday, while Bayern await the draw for the next round which will take place on March 17.

There was action off the pitch before kick-off as around 200 Arsenal supporters marched from Highbury to the Emirates before the game in protest against Wenger's position.

The Bayern fans also got involved, halting the match early on as they threw paper onto the pitch and held up a banner in protest about the cost of tickets for the match.

Arsenal were then forced into a change before kick-off when Danny Welbeck was withdrawn from the starting line-up due to illness and replaced by Olivier Giroud.

Alexis Sanchez - who was reportedly involved in a training ground bust-up last week - was also reinstated to the starting line-up after being dropped for the defeat at Liverpool on Saturday, while Mesut Ozil was fit enough for a place on the bench.

The Gunners started brightly and Sanchez was involved straight away, lifting the ball over the top for Walcott, whose first touch was poor which allowed Manuel Neuer to race off his line and clear.

The hosts went close again moments later as Giroud and Mats Hummels tussled for the ball at the far post. The Frenchman got his head to the ball but Hummels did enough to put him off as the ball scraped the outside of the post.

Walcott's pace was Arsenal's main threat though, and he made the breakthrough in the 20th minute, forcing his way through two challenges before hammering the ball past Neuer and into the roof of the net.

Walcott was causing Bayern problems every time he got on the ball and thought he should have had a penalty when he went to ground under a challenge from Alonso. However, Greek referee Tasos Sidiropoulos, who looked to have help from his assistant standing on the goal line, waved away the appeals.

Mustafi then played in Walcott, who hit the outside netting with a similar chance to that which he had tucked away early on before Lewandowski scuffed a great chance wide for the Germans.


Arsenal continued to threaten after the interval, Ramsey crossing for Giroud but the Frenchman could only head onto the roof of the net before Hummels had an effort rightly ruled out for offside.

But Bayern eased any pressure on themselves as Lewandowski tucked home a penalty after Koscielny brought down the Polish striker when through on goal.

The referee initially pulled out a yellow card for the Arsenal skipper but changed his mind, dismissing Koscielny after another conversation with the assistant referee behind the goal.

The fate of the tie was sealed when Robben pounced on a wayward goal-kick from David Ospina and then robbed Sanchez of possession on the edge of the Arsenal box before producing an emphatic finish.

Wenger introduced Ozil, Lucas Perez and Francis Coquelin but it was Bayern in control, with Lewandowski hitting the post before substitute Costa swept home at the end of a speedy counter-attack.

Vidal then rounded things off for the visitors with a late double, lifting a the ball over Ospina after a sloppy Mustafi pass and then tapping home into an empty net to leave Arsenal down and out.