Chelsea's Champions League return ended in disappointment at the Allianz Arena as Harry Kane haunted his former London rivals in Bayern Munich's 3-1 victory.
The England striker bagged a brace, first converting a penalty he'd earned himself, then curling home after capitalizing on a defensive blunder.
It was a night when costly mistakes defined Chelsea's fate. Trevoh Chalobah's own goal set the tone early, putting the visitors on the back foot.
The Blues found themselves undone by their own errors throughout the match, with their defense looking vulnerable against Bayern's clinical attack.
Cole Palmer was frustrated after Chelsea failed to leave Munich with anything
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Cole Palmer offered Chelsea a lifeline with a brilliant strike into the top corner, marking his 100th appearance for the club in style. The attacker was adamant his team warranted a better outcome.
"I feel like we deserved more, to be honest," Palmer told TNT Sports.
"We started well, I think we had early chances to score, but when you make mistakes at the highest level then it's always difficult to come back in any game."
Despite acknowledging it was a learning experience being back in Europe's premier competition, Palmer rejected any suggestion Chelsea were just there to make up the numbers.
"We're not here to be a learning curve," he added. "I feel like tonight we've shown we can compete and we want to do as best as we can."
The defensive horror show began when Chelsea switched off during a drop-ball situation, leading to Chalobah deflecting the ball into his own net.
Things got worse when Moises Caicedo clumsily brought down Kane inside the penalty area, gifting the striker his first goal from the spot.
Malo Gusto's misplaced pass in the 63rd minute handed Kane his second, effectively killing off any hopes of a Chelsea comeback.
It was the kind of error that simply can't happen at this level, especially for a team hoping to compete with Europe's elite after missing out on Champions League football last season.
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The experience gap showed throughout the match. Bayern's Manuel Neuer made his 151st Champions League appearance, while Chelsea's entire squad had just 117 appearances combined before kickoff.
The Blues had started brightly, with Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez spurning early opportunities that could have changed the game's complexion.
Palmer saw a late effort ruled out for a tight offside call, adding to Chelsea's frustration.
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Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves talk Cole Palmer's 'X Factor'...
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Nicolas Jackson, who recently joined Bayern on loan from Chelsea, came on in stoppage time without really getting a chance to make an impact against his parent club.
Chelsea's next European test comes at home against Benfica, with Jose Mourinho potentially in the dugout after reports suggest he'll be named as their new manager this week.