Chelsea’s long-awaited return to the Champions League ended in disappointment on Wednesday night as they were beaten 3-1 by Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
It was the Blues’ first game in Europe’s premier competition in almost two-and-a-half years, but their comeback was spoiled by a clinical display from the German champions. Harry Kane scored twice, while Trevoh Chalobah’s own goal compounded Chelsea’s misery.
The visitors had started brightly and were rewarded when Cole Palmer, making his first start in several weeks, capped off a well-worked attacking move. After combining neatly with Malo Gusto, the England international calmly slotted past Manuel Neuer to give Chelsea hope of a famous result in Munich.
But Bayern responded with ruthless efficiency. Kane equalised before Chalobah turned the ball into his own net, and Kane sealed the victory late on to put the result beyond doubt.
Palmer, who was Chelsea’s standout performer on the night, voiced his frustration in a candid post-match interview.
“We deserved more. We started well, had early chances but when you make mistakes at the highest level it’s difficult,” Palmer told TNT Sports. “There was a lack of concentration, not managing the moments correct.
“We showed we can play against one of the best teams in the competition. We’re not coming here just for a learning curve – we showed we want to compete.”
Palmer thought he had scored a second late on after latching onto a pass from Andrey Santos, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside in the build-up.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca admitted his side had started strongly but felt the goals conceded could have been avoided.
“I think overall the performance was quite good. We started very well for 20 minutes, creating chances,” said Maresca. “When we conceded the goal, we can avoid that kind of goal. We were in the game and scored.”
The defeat leaves Chelsea with work to do in their group, but Maresca and his players will take positives from their early dominance and Palmer’s excellent performance.
Attention now turns to domestic action, with Chelsea set to face Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday. They then travel to Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup before returning to Stamford Bridge to host Brighton.
