Bayern Munich 3-1 Manchester United - Five Talking Points

A valiant attempt from Manchester United wasn't enough after their surprise lead was taken away from them and were soundly beaten by the reigning European champions. Goals from Mandzukic, Muller and Robben cancelled out Evra's opener and was enough to send Bayern through to the semi-finals.Here are the five talking points from the game.

#1 Goals do change games

For 56 minutes, the tie was on a knife edge. Like two players hunched over a chessboard, United and Bayern locked themselves in combat, each openly acknowledging the adversary's existence and skill. But once Evra opened the scoring for United, all hell broke loose.

Just like a week ago, Bayern Munich came back. This time around though, they didn’t settle for a draw and went all out to score as much as possible. And after scoring the goal that gave them the initiative, United simply stopped defending. An elegant chess endgames was broken down into a training ground drill of attack vs defense.

In the end, wave after wave of Bayern attack proved too much for United, who ultimately ended up regretting the goal they scored as it just spurred Bayern on.

#2 Evra is the villain yet again

Joseph Campbell once said “It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life.” For the past couple of years, it looked as though Manchester United were taking this a little too seriously. First Sir Alex, then David Moyes continuously persisted with Patrice Evra in the hope that no matter how bad it gets, there must be some light at the end of the tunnel.

And when Patrice Evra scored the goal that looked to have sent Manchester United through to the semi-final of the Champions League, it looked as though all the pain and the suffering was worth it. It looked like Evra had finally justified the continued faith shown in him by his manager, when all evidence pointed towards showing him the door.

Instead, he let the club down, maybe for the last time. Not only did he let Mandzukic score the equalizer just 22 seconds after the restart, he was also at fault for the other two goals. He was guilty of not closing down Robben quickly enough and was punished as a result. At the end of the day, it looks as though this trip to the abyss isn’t going to bring United any treasures after all.

#3 Kroos lets his feet do all the talking

Over the past few months, a lot has been said about Toni Kroos and his impending departure from Bayern Munich to Manchester United. Whilst neither Bayern nor the player have confirmed nor denied it, the truth is that an awful lot has been said about the same. On Wednesday night, Kroos finally had an opportunity to let his feet do the talking, especially with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez suspended. And that is precisely what he did.

Playing as the shield in front of the back four, Kroos showcased his versatility and gave Moyes further proof as to why he should sign him up. Whether it was picking up the ball from defence, pinging cross-field balls to the feet of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben or playing delightful through balls that carved United open, Kroos did it all.

And though all the credit might go to Ribery and Robben for creating the goals, one should not forget the performance put in by Kroos.

#4 The Red Devils must be sick at the sight of Robben

Coming into this game, Manchester United knew all about Robben and his antics. Unfortunately, much like every other team Bayern have played this season, they haven’t been able to do anything about it. The Dutchman looked menacing from the very first minute, thanks to his innate ability to cut inside and either shoot or set up a team-mate.

Although United defended manfully until the hour mark, as soon as Bayern equalized, United heads started to drop and Robben took full advantage of it. The Dutchman supplied the cross that led to Muller’s goal that gave the home side the lead. He also capped off a wonderful night’s display with a goal that showed just why, even at 30, he is still one of the best wingers in the world at the moment.

#5 Pep Guardiola still working on perfecting perfection

There is an old adage, “when it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. But, when Bayern Munich brought Pep Guardiola to the Allianz Arena at the start of the season, they didn’t really believe in it. For few could perfect perfection. And against Manchester United, Guardiola showed just why he is regarded as one of most tactically astute coaches in Europe.

Against a side that was looking to sit deep, Bayern played a W-M, something Pep's already done before with Barcelona. By asking pretty much everyone barring the two center backs to push forward, Guardiola ensured that there were no redundant men at the back.

At times, Alaba and Lahm, who started as full backs, were almost playing in central midfield alongside Kroos. Whilst it did leave them exposed to long balls over the top; in the end, the constant pressure finally paid off and it was yet another tactical victory for Guardiola in his quest to perfect perfection.