Bayern Munich were at their dominant best in the Champions League opener against Chelsea at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday as they registered a 3-1 win.
Harry Kane scored a brilliant brace whilst securing the lead courtesy of an own goal from Trevoh Chalobah. On the other hand, Cole Palmer's fantastic first half goal only remained as a consolation.
It was a high intensity game between two extremely fluid attacking teams, but Vincent Kompany's men simply outclassed the Blues in key moments.
There were hardly any controversial incidents throughout the game but there was one sequence where Jonathan Tah and Joao Pedro came together during Chelsea's counter attack which eventually led to the goal.
Following the goal, Tah received a yellow card for bringing down the Brazilian during the counter attack.
However, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca believed that the Germany international should have been sent off as he felt Tah kicked Pedro without any intention of playing the ball.
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In contrast to Maresca's strong red card claim, Kompany came up with a different opinion as he felt it was Pedro who fouled Tah and not the other way round.
"I actually wanted a foul the other way. I might be biased. I thought his shirt got pulled. He was trying to free himself. He was getting turned, and as a defender your natural instinct is to shake him off. I don't think it was that big an event (for a red card)," Kompany opined on the Tah incident after the win.
Kompany also sensed the danger at halftime and immediately brought on Kim Min-jae at the start of the second half to replace Tah, who looked a little shaky in defense for the Bavarians.
What did Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca say about Jonathan Tah's challenge on Joao Pedro?
Maresca was extremely clear about his thoughts as he felt it should have been a red card for Tah. He also felt the referee would have handed him marching orders had there been blood following the collision with Pedro.
"For me, it is a red card. There is no intention to go for the ball. There is just an intention to kick another player, so why it is not a red card? To give the red card these days I think they need to see blood. There is not any doubt [it's a red]," Maresca said after the game as quoted by Ben Jacobs.
Lastly, Tah was asked about Maresca's red card claim and the German defender clarified that he never did anything to warrant a sending off.
"If I had hit him [Pedro] in the face then yes. But no [I didn't]. I can understand the yellow card, it was the right decision," Tah stated when asked about Maresca's red card claim.
Overall, it was a great defensive display for Bayern Munich as they didn't really allow Chelsea any opportunity in the final third apart from the sequence when they conceded the goal.
Dayot Upamecano was brilliant on the night, and he was well supported by Konrad Laimer, Josip Stanisic and later by substitutes like Kim and Sacha Boey.
Bayern Munich news and related links
- Enzo Maresca issues Cole Palmer injury update after Bayern Munich clash
- Sami Khedira hails Bayern Munich youngster as 'hottest property' among German talents
- Bayern Munich star Harry Kane reveals the importance of finishing in top 8 in the Champions League