Chelsea have fond memories of the Allianz Arena, but this was a painful night for Enzo Maresca’s side.
After a two-year absence, Chelsea are back in the Champions League and once again competing with Europe’s elite.
Harry Kane struck twice for the German champions, who took the lead thanks to a Trevoh Chalobah own goal.
Cole Palmer got on the scoresheet for Chelsea, but it was not enough to stop them falling to a first defeat of the season.
At the double: Harry Kane
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Lethal Kane downs Chelsea
Much of the talk going into this game centred around Nicolas Jackson.
But, in the end, it was another of Bayern Munich’s strikers, and another familiar name, that downed Chelsea.
Kane made history on Wednesday night, scoring twice to take his tally in the Champions League to 42 goals and 11 assists. No Englishman has been directly involved in more goals in the competition’s history.
Kane’s tally, which overtakes that of David Beckham, has come in just 58 Champions League games.
It is an impressive strike rate and this was a performance that summed up why he remains one of Europe’s most lethal forwards.
Kane dovetailed well with the three attackers behind, especially the electric Michael Olise, and he won the penalty for Bayern’s second goal, before firing it home.
The England captain cooly slotted his second just after the hour mark and he was only denied a hat-trick by a brilliant Robert Sanchez save.
Back: Cole Palmer
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Palmer shines in landmark game
This was Palmer’s 100th appearance for Chelsea, and he marked the occasion in style.
The 23-year-old scored a brilliant goal just before the half-hour mark as he finished off a slick counterattack.
It was the 45th goal that Palmer has scored for Chelsea in 100 games and this was a performance that underlined his importance to them.
Played on the right wing, instead of as a No10, he combined effectively with Malo Gusto – who assisted his goal.
Gusto was handed a start as Reece James was deployed in midfield, and he was a threat going forward.
The right-back’s connection with Palmer was Chelsea’s biggest weapon and James playing in midfield gave Gusto the licence to get bomb on.
James often tucked into the defence when Chelsea were on the ball and that meant Gusto could overlap Palmer, exploiting the space he created when cutting in from the right.
Penalty: Moises Caicedo takes down Harry Kane
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Chelsea taught a painful lesson
Gusto was a threat going forward, but defensively, he summed up how Chelsea were prone to playing themselves into trouble.
The right-back’s sloppy touch and pass gifted the ball to Kane, who neatly finished to make it 3-1 with just over 30 minutes to go.
The goal essentially killed the game, with Bayern’s experience at this level showing its value.
Chelsea had five players in their starting XI appearing in the Champions League for the first time, and they were taught a painful lesson.
Maresca’s side performed well for large parts of this game, especially the opening stages, but they were punished for defensive mistakes.
For Bayern’s opening goal, Chelsea were caught out by a quick free-kick. The second was the result of Moises Caicedo giving away a penalty.
Chelsea respond well after that, hitting back through Palmer, however Gusto’s error then shifted all the momentum back in Bayern’s direction.