Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid: The Gunners showed why they can go all the way in this season’s Champions League by crushing what was thought to be a stubborn opponent.
A football enthusiast who spends much of his life on the highway, watching games all over the country. Passionate about soccer, work and mirrors. I have always believed that the Premier League is the best in the world and that England have a chance. Author of Arsene Wenger: The Inside Story of Arsenal Under Wenger.
Something special happens every time Madrid visits the Emirates. Six months ago, Arsenal defeated powerhouse Real Madrid 3-0 on their way to the Champions League semi-finals.
And now they had another sensational night in Europe, beating Atletico Madrid for the fourth time. Viktor Gökeres was at the heart of the victory, scoring two goals in three minutes to end a futile campaign.
Atlético are tight at the back and difficult to break down, making them a formidable opponent. Arsenal put them away with another great all-action performance and will be rated as genuine Champions League contenders.
Mikel Arteta’s side look truly unstoppable as they sit top of the Premier League and have won three straight games in Europe. This was perhaps their toughest test yet, having easily handled Athletic Bilbao and Olympiakos. In fact, they troubled Atlético with a goal rush in the second half.
read more: Victor Goqueres shines as Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid – 5 talking pointsread more: Marcus Rashford proves Ruben Amorim wrong and sends a clear message to Manchester United
Declan Rice, who had scored two superb free-kicks to defeat Real Madrid in April, put Gabriel ahead with another goal after 57 minutes, with Arsenal fans chanting “Another set-piece, ole, ole”.
And just as they started chanting “1-0 to Arsenal”, Arteta’s men grabbed another player as the fans started dancing to another song. There are few players more deserving of glory than Gabriel Martinelli. This is because even though he was placed on the bench and suffered, he always continued to give 100%.
Martinelli’s second goal was a cracker, with Miles Lewis-Skelly powering his way across the pitch and laying off, the Brazilian winger curling a delicious shot into the far post. The stadium went wild as they knew this was a clear victory as not many teams can beat Diego Simeone’s Atlético so easily.
But more followed. And it was born after another great work of Martinelli – and this time completed by the very popular player of Gokeres. Martinelli drove to the byline and cut back, and in the 67th minute, Gokeres did everything in his power to force the ball away from Atlético defender David Hanko.
It was Gokeres’ first goal in 600 minutes, but Arsenal fans have treated him wonderfully, giving him great support even when some doubts crept in when chances were missed. You can’t fault his strength and power or his determination to score goals. Although at times he looks more like a battering ram than an elegant European striker, he gives Arsenal something different.
But Arsenal paid £64 million for Goqueres in the summer not only because of his prolific goalscoring output for Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese league, but also because of his six goals in the Champions League. To be fair to Gokeres, he’s shown he can handle the big boys in Europe, and suddenly five goals in 11 games doesn’t seem too bad.
Just like London buses, if you wait years for one, two will soon arrive. Three minutes after the first, Gokeres scored his second. Rice hit another deep corner at the back post, Gabriel headed it over goal, and Gokeres scored from close range.
This was a big result and performance for Arsenal. Bukayo Saka was great. They also kept a clean sheet. There’s a lot to admire about Arsenal and a lot to look forward to this season.
Arteta has built enough depth and a good enough squad to challenge on different fronts. And after defeating a European powerhouse like Atletico Madrid, they will believe they can take another step forward in this season’s Champions League.
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