Ancelotti thrilled to finally see his Bayern crew firing on all cylinders

Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed his team's 5-1 Champions League demolition of Arsenal on Wednesday as the best performance of his reign in Bavaria.

Bayern rode roughshod over Arsenal in the second half of the last-16 tie, scoring three goals in 10 minutes to take a four-goal cushion into the return leg on March 7.

"We played fantastic football. It was a deserved victory, the balance was there and we were compact and quick," said Ancelotti.

"This result is very important, but we still have a game in London where we have to show the same passion. We still will be carrying something good with us to London after this game."

An Alexis Sanchez equalizer - on the rebound from his saved penalty - sent Arsenal in 1-1 at the break, but the floodgates opened after Gunners center-back Laurent Koscielny was sidelined with an injury as Bayern shrugged off its lackluster domestic form.

The offensive explosion was particularly timely for Ancelotti who, in his first season in charge at Allianz Arena, has been accused by fans of blunting Bayern's cutting edge.

The German champion has eliminated Arsenal at this stage of the competition on three previous occasions, including 2013 and 2014, and look certain to do so again.

An inspired Thiago Alcantara netted twice and goals from Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski and substitute Thomas Muller completed the rout.

"We started really well," said Dutch winger Robben, who put Bayern ahead with a superb 10th-minute long-distance curler.

"I am a bit surprised, but it is the Bayern mentality. When it matters we are always there despite not having necessarily played well this year so far."

'Stick with Wenger'

Considering its travails in the Premier League, Arsenal's capitulation was not exactly unexpected, and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger's 20-year reign in north London is under renewed pressure after its mauling in Bavaria.

As well five goals, the usually pass-happy Gunners, conceded a huge 75 percent possession to Bayern.

However, former Chelsea chief Ancelotti backed Wenger to lead Arsenal out of its mire as it stares down the barrel of a seventh last-16 exit in consecutive seasons.

"This is football, and Arsene has the experience to manage this result and move forward - this is only one game," said Ancelotti, who oversaw his 148th European game.

After Manchester United great Alex Ferguson, who coached in 198 Champions League matches, Wenger has the second-highest number of European games under his belt, with 183.

Ancelotti was indebted to Thiago's magnificent display in the attacking midfield role.

"Thiago played really well, we put him in the position between their lines," said Ancelotti.

"It meant he closed them down and gave us more space. His performance was really good - he was perfect.

"It's the best performance since I have been here, but it's not the final. We still have another game to play, unfortunately."

The Italian said the focus is now on completing the job at Emirates Stadium.

"The result was important. We have the advantage, but we don't want to make a mistake," said Ancelotti.

"We want to play like we did tonight with the same intensity, spirit and the same tempo, because we don't want to give ourselves problems."

The result matched the 5-1 group-stage thrashing the Gunners received in Munich in November 2015.