Bayern were made to work at times by a willing Arsenal side in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg on Tuesday, but the Gunners were left chasing shadows for long spells too, as the Bundesliga leaders tilted the balance of the tie firmly in their favour with an accomplished and composed away performance.
The 59,974 full house at the magnificently appointed Emirates Stadium saw Toni Kroos open the scoring from a Thomas Müller cut-back with just seven minutes played, Müller himself doubling the advantage from close range midway through the first half.
The Reds were in the box seat, but the Gunners raised their game and Lukas Podolski pulled one back with a looping header ten minutes after the restart. It was a knife-edge affair for a long period with chances at both ends, but Mario Mandzukic forced home from close range to restore the two-goal lead 13 minutes from time.
The result means Bayern are overwhelming favourites to progress to the last eight ahead of the decisive return at the Allianz Arena on 13 March. FCB are next in action at home to Werder Bremen on Saturday afternoon.
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