CLINICAL Harry Kane shone where Didier Drogba once stood tall as Bayern capitalised on Chelsea’s individual errors in a 3-1 victory at home.
The Blues’ return to Champions League action was nothing short of enthralling, as two individual errors saw them 2-0 down early on.
Bayern took advantage of a re-taken free kick to set Michael Olise free down the right-hand side, his cross evading everyone in blue and being bundled home by Trevoh Chalobah.
Moments later, Bayern had doubled their lead, through Harry Kane no less, as a lousy Moises Caicedo tackle allowed him to slot the ball away from the penalty spot.
When it looked as though the Germans were going to march to a dominant victory, it was Cole Palmer who strolled through the Bayern midfield, almost in slow motion, before playing a one-two with Gusto and finding the top corner with his magisterial left boot.
However, Enzo Maresca’s side let it slip when a dodgy touch from Gusto fell to Harry Kane, who scored Bayern’s third, and the Germans were dominant from there on.
Maresca will be hoping for an easier next round, with a home tie against Benfica, and a potential reunion with Jose Mourinho on the cards.
Here’s how SunSport Chelsea reporter Lloyd Canfield rated the players…
Robert Sanchez – 8
One of, if not the best, games Robert Sanchez has had in a Chelsea shirt.
A great early long pass almost saw the Blues take the lead within minutes in Germany, but for the offside flag going up against Malo Gusto on the receiving end.
Couldn’t have done an awful lot about the goals conceded, and made a few good saves to deny Harry Kane and Serge Gnabry in a strong performance from the Spaniard.
Malo Gusto – 5
A tale of two halves is a fair assessment of Malo Gusto’s game vs Bayern.
He assisted Cole Palmer’s goal with a clever run and composed pass to the Englishman, as well as being good on the ball for large parts of the game.
Unfortunately, his good work came undone after an hour, as a sloppy touch saw Harry Kane capitalise and add a third goal to Bayern’s tally.
Tosin Adarabioyo – 3
Failed to get in front of an early Michael Olise cross and clear in what looked like a defence that had fallen asleep in the first half.
Was nutmegged by Harry Kane when the striker added his second, and generally struggled to cope with the clinical Bayern number nine throughout.
Trevoh Chalobah – 3
It was somewhat unfortunate to have the ball bounce off him and into the back of the net to give Bayern the lead.
But he didn’t show any huge signs of improvement after that moment, after having a pretty good season so far.
On occasion, his positioning was questionable tonight, as it was against Brentford at the weekend, and you cannot afford mistakes of that calibre at this level.
Marc Cucurella – 4
Didn’t get out to his man for the opening goal, instead leaving Joao Pedro to go up against him 1v1 and get beaten, and then gave the ball away for the second goal.
For a player arguably the best in the world in his position, it wasn’t his best night, and he looked utterly afraid of whatever the wizard Olise had up his sleeve next.
Moises Caicedo – 3
A sloppy challenge from the usually dependable Caicedo saw Harry Kane stretched out on the floor and asking for a penalty, to which the referee said no, before a change of heart and gave the spot-kick.
Had a part to play in the goal that got Chelsea back in the game, poking the ball forward to Palmer, who did most of the work from there.
He’s earned a poor game, after so many incredible performances, and cashed it in today.
Reece James – 4
A player who is clearly at his blistering best as a marauding full-back, James struggled to get involved in the first half at all.
His second 45 was much the same, before being swapped for Andrey Santos.
Chelsea looked like they missed Romeo Lavia more than anyone else in this match.
Enzo Fernandez – 3
Chelsea’s £105m midfield man suffered in the first half against Joshua Kimmich when it came to creating chances, his biggest strength so far this season.
The Argentine looked lost amongst it, couldn’t create anything going forward, and looked late on the scene whenever Bayern showed signs of danger.
Cole Palmer – 8
After an electric return to fitness against Brentford, the Blues forward had a point to prove in the Champions League, on his 100th appearance for Chelsea, no less.
Well, he proved it tonight. This is the stage on which the ice-cold man belongs.
He drove forward from his own half with the ball, scanning like a UAV for incoming challenges before loaning the ball to Gusto, claiming the interest, and slotting it into the top left corner to get Chelsea back in the game.
He almost had a brace, but for a VAR intervention, though that will take nothing away from the finish, which was a sumptuous tap into the bottom corner past Manuel Neuer.
Pedro Neto – 3
After a good performance against Brentford, Neto really struggled in Bavaria tonight.
Attacks would reach him and seem to break down, while his shots were wayward, and his final ball was off the pace.
He provided all the good attitude and work rate you always get from the Portuguese winger, but it wasn’t enough to earn him a good rating tonight.
Joao Pedro – 5
His first half was made up of a lot of work that he might not get the credit for, holding the ball up and looking to intertwine with his team-mates against a very physical Bayern defence.
Displayed a few nice touches, even in the second half, but they were often wasted by his team-mates.
SUBS:
Alejandro Garnacho (Pedro Neto, 68) – 5
Showed flashes of good play on the ball, but lacked the end product to create anything meaningful for his new side.
A late shot straight into the palms of Manuel Neuer summed up his performance.
Andrey Santos (Reece James, 68) – 6
Would’ve had an excellent assist for Cole Palmer at the death, but for a VAR intervention.
He should take confidence from that, and should be given another chance to impress against Manchester United at the weekend.
Estevao (Enzo Fernandez, 81) – 5
Didn’t have enough time to make an impact on his Champions League debut.
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