Bayern Munich sent a strong warning to Arsenal ahead of their Champions League meeting on Wednesday with a 6-1 demolition of RB Leipzig.
Vincent Kompany’s side had drawn their previous two matches against Augsburg and Danish team Viking, but they rediscovered their attacking sharpness at the Allianz Arena. Luis Diaz scored three times, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Michael Olise also found the net before half-time, and Harry Kane added another after the break.
The victory allowed Bayern to return to the top of Bundesliga after Borussia Dortmund’s goalless draw at Union Berlin, but third-placed Freiburg could still move above them if they beat Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Diaz set the tone of the game in the 12th minute as Bayern flew out of the blocks. Joshua Kimmich picked out the Colombian with an excellent through-ball, and he finished emphatically past Maarten Vandevoordt to give Bayern an early lead.
The hosts doubled their advantage 14 minutes later, with Diaz turning provider. He drove towards the Leipzig defence before finding Pavlovic, who struck a powerful left-footed shot into the net.
Olise made it 3-0 in the 34th minute after combining neatly with Kane. The Frenchman then fired from distance to score his ninth goal of the campaign. Bayern went into half-time with a commanding lead and little sign of Leipzig finding a way back.
Leipzig were dealt further blows shortly after the break. Just 95 seconds in, Diaz collected a pass from Kane and fired into the net for his second goal of the afternoon.
Kane then joined the scoring in the 53rd minute. Nathaniel Brown pulled the ball back into the area, and the England captain finished from close range to make it five.
Bayern were not finished. Diaz completed his hat-trick with 21 minutes remaining, producing a curling finish from around 20 yards to cap an outstanding performance. Andrija Maksimovic managed to find the net for Leipzig in stoppage time, but it was scant consolation.
