Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid: Victor Goqueres scores twice as the Gunners blow away their Spanish opponents in an emotional 13-minute second half in the Champions League
Victor Goqueres ended their goal drought as Arsenal continued their perfect Champions League record with a dominant second-half performance to beat Atletico Madrid. The Gunners dominated their opponents with four goals in 13 minutes, achieving three wins and three clean sheets in the opening stages of the tournament.
The first half ended scoreless, but they weren’t short on tries as Eberechi Eze hit a deflected shot on the bar, but Bukayo Saka was denied a one-on-one by Jan Oblak and Gabriel Martinelli was unfortunately ruled offside after pushing in Saka’s cross. Meanwhile, David Raya was lucky that Julian Alvarez was unable to find the back of the net after Giovanni Simeone took the corner flag.
Gokeres tested Oblak again early in the second half, but Arsenal turned to the tried-and-true set-piece route to break the deadlock, with Declan Rice’s inviting free-kick headed home by Gabriel Magalhães. Alvarez hit the bar before the floodgates opened for Atleti.
The second goal was the pick of the bunch, as Miles Lewis-Skelly stepped forward and released Martinelli, who curled into the bottom corner for his first shot. Gokeres ended a 624-minute goal drought by stabbing home from a healthy deflection. A few minutes later, Rice and Gabriel combined for a simple goal off a corner kick to make it 4-0.
Here’s the buzz about Arsenal’s great night:
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1. Threat Saka
All of Arsenal’s attacking threat in the first half came from the right flank, with Julian Timber and Saka combining well on numerous occasions. Atleti’s left-back David Hanko was no match for the Arsenal winger and although he eventually beat him, he was unable to prove his superiority.
Eze sent a perfectly timed through ball to Saka from behind Hanko, but unlike his teammates, Oblak read the ball and darted out to save the shot. Saka’s performances have been limited so far this season due to a hamstring problem, and this game made it even clearer how important he is to Arteta’s team.
2. Zubimendi will be punished
There are eight matches in the group phase of the Champions League, but only two yellow cards can result in a player being suspended for one match. If that sounds harsh, think about Martin Zvimendi, who was booked in the first half and broke the rules.
Although the holding midfielder did not feel he had committed a foul, he was still shown a yellow and will miss this season’s next Champions League game away to Slavia Prague on November 4. Zvimendi is now completely at home, sitting at the base of Arsenal’s midfield, creating a chance for Gokeres early in the second half and releasing Martinelli in the build-up to the third goal, and only time will tell how important his booking is.
3. The familiar route to the goal
Arsenal’s brilliance from set pieces is nothing new. Set piece coach Nicola Jobar has been at the helm for many years and they continue to outperform all their rivals from dead ball situations. What’s impressive is that they haven’t been discovered yet. The team hasn’t found a way to stop it.
The free-kick was quite far away, but Atleti were unable to respond to Rice’s excellent in-swinging shot and Gabriel’s run and header. With two Gunners players lined up offside, Gabriel didn’t even need a blocker to head the ball free, and even Oblak couldn’t stop him. Once they stepped forward, they never looked back.
4. The best Martinelli
Three Champions League games, three goals from Gabriel Martinelli. Along with Leandro Trossard, he was the hero after coming off the bench in the first leg against Athletic Club and was impressive again on Tuesday night, scoring the opening goal in the 2-0 win over Olympiakos in the second leg.
His direct running, tireless work rate and penchant for curling into the far corner have made him the perfect weapon for Arteta when he’s in good form, and all of those traits were evident here. His goal owed much to Lewis Skelly’s driving run and pass, but Martinelli’s trademark finish past Oblak was beautiful.
5.Feed the Gyoku
In the run-up to this match, there was a lot of criticism towards Gokeres as the summer big-money signing endured a drought in front of goal. He failed to find the back of the net in seven appearances for Arsenal and two for Sweden, which must have been a strange feeling for a player who has been so prolific over the past two seasons at Sporting.
His first goal here was a classic goal of the genre, ending the drought as Jokeles rammed a shot into Hanko’s leg and converted it into a corner. The second goal was a typical poacher’s goal, with Gokeres coming close to the back post and using his thigh to push Gabriel’s header over the line. He has scored five goals this season and is sure to continue scoring if the chances keep coming.
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