Bayern Munich took the advantage in their Champions League last-16 tie with Arsenal this evening courtesy of a 2-0 win at the Emirates.
Both sides missed a penalty in the first half, while the hosts had Wojciech Szczesny sent off for a foul on Arjen Robben inside the area.
The visitors made their man advantage pay less than 10 minutes into the second half when Toni Kroos curled a delightful strike into the top corner, while Thomas Muller added a second with two minutes of normal time remaining.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a dramatic night in North London.
Match statistics
Arsenal
Shots: 8
On target: 4
Possession: 21%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 8
Bayern Munich
Shots: 26
On target: 5
Possession: 79%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 16
Was the result fair?
Absolutely. Stats that heavily in favour of one team do not lie, although they were certainly affected by the red card given to Wojciech Szczesny towards the end of the first half. Arsenal began the match really well, but Bayern eased themselves into it eventually before taking complete control after the sending-off.
The first missed penalty was certainly a turning point in the match as Arsenal were ripping their visitors apart at that stage, and could have gone from strength to strength had they taken the lead. However, Mesut Ozil's miss silenced the crowd a little and gave Bayern a bit more confidence.
There is no doubt that it would have been a vastly different match had Arsenal kept 11 men on the field, but once they were down to 10 there was only one side in it. The second half was the most dominant team performance you are likely to see at such a level, and it was always a question of how many Bayern would go on to score.
Arsenal's performance
For 15 minutes at the start of the match, they were brilliant. Bayern, who have only conceded nine goals in the league all season, simply couldn't deal with the pace of Arsenal's attack and they were very much in the ascendancy when they won the penalty.
Ozil's miss had a noticeable impact on the team, but they still had their moments after that and more than held their own until the sending off. From then on, it was a case of damage limitation mode and, considering how heavy the pressure was and how much possession Bayern had, they did an admirable job on that front too.
They would have loved to have held it to 1-0 and for a while it looked like they might be able to do it, but Muller's late header makes their job in Munich in the second leg twice as difficult, and Wenger's side would need a European performance for the ages to progress.
Bayern Munich's performance
They will have wondered what had hit them in the opening stages of the match. Toni Kroos came close early on, but for the most part Arsenal were on the front foot and looked like scoring every time they came forward. It took Bayern a little longer than expected to ease themselves into the match, but they eventually did so and were on top when they were awarded their penalty towards the end of the second half.
David Alaba may have missed his spot kick, but the red card to Szczesny handed Guardiola's side a huge advantage and the second half was one of the most one-sided affairs you will ever see. They relentlessly battered the Arsenal defence and it didn't take them long to break through courtesy of a sublime Kroos strike.
They will have viewed a 1-0 win as a wasted opportunity despite clearly fancying their chances at the Allianz Arena, but Muller's late goal makes things a lot more comfortable for them. They wouldn't have had things all their own way if it stayed 11 vs. 11, but as it was it was an easy win for them.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Arjen Robben: The second half performance from Bayern Munich was a sight to behold as they kept pouring forward with waves and waves of attackers, monopolising possession. The main architect of that was Robben, who led repeated charges down the right flank, which looked particularly exposed. It was Robben who won the penalty and got Szczesny sent off with a clever run behind the defence, and he also flashed a couple of shots narrowly past the post in the second half. The second goal was always going to come from down the right flank and, while Robben ultimately didn't have a part in that one, it was he who had battered Arsenal's left side time and time again before that.
Biggest gaffe
This one has to go to Ozil's penalty miss. While Alaba was also guilty of missing from the spot, Ozil's seemed a lot more costly as the Gunners could have built on an incredible start and put Bayern under even more pressure had they taken the lead. There is also the factor that Ozil's penalty looked lazy as he put it tamely down the middle for Manuel Neuer to save, while Alaba at least tried to steer his effort towards the corner. Ozil's recent form has drawn questions, and he will not have appeased any of his critics with this evening's performance. His penalty was the beginning of what turned out to be another disappointing display from the German.
Referee performance
Arsenal fans may not agree, but Nicola Rizzoli had a good game this evening. He got all of his big decisions in the first half spot on, and the only questionable one in the entire match was when he didn't award Bayern a penalty for a trip on Thomas Muller by Laurent Koscielny. The Arsenal penalty was a fairly clear one, and he also made the right call in only showing Jerome Boateng a yellow card. Similarly, there was little doubt over the Bayern penalty and, once it was given, it had to be a red card for Szczesny. He may face criticism from some quarters for ruining the match by dismissing the Arsenal keeper, but his job is to enforce the rules, not to make for an entertaining spectacle. He did that tonight, and it was a strong performance from the Italian.
What next?
Arsenal: The Gunners will look to pick themselves up and get their title challenge back on track when they host Sunderland at the Emirates on Saturday.
Bayern Munich: Bayern, meanwhile, could take one step closer to the inevitable conclusion of winning the Bundesliga when they face Hannover away on Sunday.
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