Arsene Wenger: Chelsea broke 'number one rule' to suffer defeat to Bayern
- Arsene Wenger believes Frank Lampard's side collapsed after losing the midfield to the Bavarians
- Chelsea face a mountainous task of qualifying for Champions League quarters after defeat to Bayern
- Serge Gnabry's brace and Lewandowski's goal condemned the Blues to a 3-0 comprehensive defeat at Stamford Bridge
- Frank Lampard's side will now be without Marcos Alonso and Jorginho in the second leg to be played in three weeks time
Arsene Wenger has claimed Chelsea broke Champions League's "rule number one" that saw them suffer a 3-0 defeat in the hands of Bayern Munich.
Bayern handed the Blues a reality check in the first leg of UCL last 16 on Tuesday night, February 25, as Frank Lampard's young guns were outplayed at Stamford Bridge.
The London side squandered glorious goalscoring chances in the first half of the tie, only to be punished in the second stanza of the encounter.
A quick-fire double from Serge Gnabry handed Bayern a comfortable advantage before Robert Lewandowski putting the game beyond Chelsea's reach in the closing stages of the match.
Wenger has now pointed out Chelsea were punished as soon as they lost grip on the midfield.
"But at that level, to give possession away you’re punished at some stage because they make you run too much, and you cannot survive for 90 minutes," the Frenchman told beIN Sports.
"In the Champions League, if you lost the midfield you’re in trouble, it’s rule number one," the legendary Arsenal boss added.
The Stamford Bridge dwellers now face a daunting task of overturning the three-goal deficit in the second leg of the fixture to be played in Germany.
They will be without Marcos Alonso who was red-carded in the first leg and Jorginho who is suspended for that particular meeting.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported Toni Kroos is one of Real Madrid stars who believes Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Juventus made the team drop standards.
But the German midfielder claims Los Blancos have fought back just like tennis legend Rodger Federer and they are ready to prove doubters wrong.
Zinedine Zidane's side have been criticized to have lost color since the sale of Ronaldo to Italy in 2018.
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Source: Legit.ng
Akan Anwankwo Akan Anwankwo is a sports editor, a graduate of English Language and Literature Studies at the University of Lagos. He's passionate about what he does and finds fulfillment in informing readers.
Khadijah Thabit (Copyeditor) Khadijah Thabit is an editor with over 3 years of experience editing and managing contents such as articles, blogs, newsletters and social leads. She has a BA in English and Literary Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Khadijah joined Legit.ng in September 2020 as a copyeditor and proofreader for the Human Interest, Current Affairs, Business, Sports and PR desks. As a grammar police, she develops her skills by reading novels and dictionaries. Email: khadeeejathabit@gmail.com
