Spurs are absolutely blown away by the Bayern power Serge
GNABRY HITS FOUR IN SEVEN-GOAL MAULING
MAURICIO POCHETTINO was left in seventh hell by masterful Bayern Munich.
And as if that were not bad enough, former Arsenal player Serge Gnabry scored four of them.
How quickly things can unravel. It was exactly four months since Tottenham stood on the brink of conquering Liverpool in the Champions League final.
But the ease of the lesson that was dealt out by Bayern is not the most worrying aspect of this humiliation.
The bigger concern is that Tottenham might not have yet reached rock bottom.
Truly, the coming weeks will be a measure of just how good a manager Pochettino really is.
He does not run shy of making big decisions and again Christian Eriksen was left on the bench with Dele Alli given the playmaker role.
The England international’s feistier nature meant he caught Corentin Tolisso in possession on the edge of the area in the 12th minute and Tanguy Ndombele put Son Heung-Min clear from the loose ball.
It proved third time lucky for the Korean. He had already been denied twice by Manuel Neuer but though the Bayern goalkeeper got a solid hand to the ball, he could not keep it out of the far corner. The lead never looked a convincing one. One Bayern counter-attack, led by Kingsley Coman, ended with Tottenham only half clearing, and having dummied Ndombele 25 yards out Joshua Kimmich swung a devastating shot past Hugo Lloris.
Bayern had their swagger back. Just before the break they seemed to surround the Spurs defence with an impenetrable red brick wall, neither Serge Aurier nor Ndombele could get the ball out from it and Robert Lewandowski was able to carve half a yard for himself to squeeze a shot home.
Then things got a whole load worse. Aurier, who could have been sent off for the second time in four days when he landed two-footed on David Alaba in just the eighth minute, remains a liability every time be pulls on a Tottenham shirt. He allowed Gnabry, of all people, to sprint past him down the flank, cut inside and drill the ball low past Lloris.
Then two minutes later Winks lost possession for the third time, Gnabry was fed in again and for the first time since it was built this new stadium was strangely silent.
Tottenham kept up their fighting spirit, and Harry Kane converted from the spot when Danny Rose was fouled.
But Gnabry sprinted clear of Aurier again to collect Thiago Alcantara’s perfect pass and complete his hat-trick.
Then Lewandowski completed his own double.
“Football’s coming home,” the German fans sang. By this stage the Spurs fans seemed in a hurry to join them.
TOTTENHAM (4-1-2-1-2): Lloris 7; Aurier 4, Alderweireld 6, Vertonghen 5, Rose 6; Winks 5; Ndombele 6 (Eriksen 64), Sissoko 6; Alli 7 (Moura 71); Son 7, Kane 6. Goals: Son 12, Kane 61.
BAYERN MUNICH (4-2-3-1): Neuer 6; Pavard 6, Boateng 7, Sule 6, Alaba 6 (Thiago 45, 6); Kimmich 7, Tolisso 6; Gnabry 9, Coutinho 6, Coman 8 (Perisic 71); Lewandowski 8. Goals: Kimmich 15, Lewandowski 45, 87, Gnabry 53, 55, 83, 88.