This time Bayern Munich finished with the authority of a side with no interest in ever letting
Chelsea off the hook again. The gulf in class was enormous from beginning to end and, while there will be no shortage of nostalgia before the second leg takes place at the Allianz Arena on 18 March, it is unlikely to feel like much more than a sightseeing exercise when Frank Lampard’s erratic side visit the scene of their greatest triumph.
The painful truth is that a 3-0 defeat flattered Chelsea and, barring one of the greatest comebacks in the history of this competition, this tie is surely over. Bayern, seemingly on a mission to erase the memories of their inexplicable defeat to Chelsea in the 2012 final, were just as devastating as they were when they smashed
Tottenham 7-2 in October. The Bundesliga pacesetters made the side sitting fourth in the
Premier League look second-rate and all but secured their place in the last eight of the
Champions League during a brutal second half, sealing an emphatic win with two goals from Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski’s 39th goal of the season.