Arsenal thumped Atletico Madrid 4-0 in a hugely impressive Champions League outing on Tuesday, as Gabriel Magalhaes scored and assisted while Viktor Gyokeres netted a confidence-boosting brace. Three of the Gunners' four goals came directly from set-pieces, as Mikel Arteta's side became the second English side to beat Atletico in Europe this season, after Liverpool.
Arsenal had an opening within the first five minutes, as Eberechi Eze took aim from outside the area, and his shot took a looping deflection before crashing against the crossbar. Midway through the half, meanwhile, David Raya made a terrible mistake, as he attempted to shepherd the ball out of play, only to lose possession, and after Atletico took their throw-in quickly, Julian Alvarez could only shoot narrowly wide of the far post.
After the half-hour mark, Arsenal thought they had the lead, as Martin Zubimendi won the ball high and fed Bukayo Saka; his shot was tapped in by Gabriel Martinelli, but VAR correctly ruled the Brazil international offside.
After the resumption in the second half, Atletico also hit the bar, as Alvarez shot from the edge of the box and sent Raya scrambling, only for the Spaniard to be saved by the woodwork. But it was Arsenal who took the lead, four minutes before the hour, with Gabriel heading home a fine free-kick delivery from Declan Rice.
Martinelli added a second just after the 60-minute mark, as he ran onto a fine Myles Lewis-Skelly through ball and found the bottom corner, before Viktor Gyokeres all but ended the game as a contest with a scrappy finish from the edge of the six-yard box.
Gyokeres added his second, and Arsenal's fourth, on 70 minutes, after another exceptional Rice delivery found Gabriel at the back post, marking the end of a whirlwind 13-minute period in which the north London side marked themselves out as genuine European contenders this season.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates…
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David Raya (5/10):
Rush of blood to the head saw him steam out of his goal and lose the ball, but Alvarez could only fire wide. Fortunate that the Argentine's shot from range hit the bar, too. Erratic, and he had no need to be.
Jurrien Timber (7/10):
Strong off the ball and good on it too as he continually attempted to head into Atletico territory.
William Saliba (7/10):
Dealt with Sorloth very well, and was barely threatened by the imposing Norwegian. Won't get the headlines, but he's so dependable.
Gabriel Magalhaes (9/10):
Scored a fine header, and then blocked a goal-bound shot mere seconds later, rather summing up his application at both ends. Assisted Gyokeres' second in a match-winning display from centre-back.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (8/10):
Did well down his flank, locking Simeone down with a minimum of fuss. Poured forward whenever he could and one such dynamic run led to Martinelli scoring the second goal of the night. Deserves to play regularly on this evidence.
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Martin Zubimendi (7/10):
Booked in the first-half, meaning he will be suspended for Arsenal's trip to face Slavia Prague. Played well regardless, breaking up play effectively, and deserves credit for doing so while carded. This is the kind of game he thrives in.
Declan Rice (8/10):
Truly exquisite ball in for Gabriel to head home to give the Gunners the lead. An understated performance otherwise, enlivened by some truly world-class quality, as his corner also directly led to Arsenal's fourth.
Eberechi Eze (5/10):
Early effort deflected onto the bar. Struggled a little to get on the ball as much as he would like and his influence waned as the game went on. Disappointing, especially given the performances of his midfield colleagues.
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Bukayo Saka (7/10):
Always willing to go at Hancko and got plenty of joy in doing so. Unfortunate that Martinelli mistimed his run or he would have the assist his play merited.
Viktor Gyokeres (8/10):
Scored the scrappiest goal of the season before adding a second at the back post. The relief was palpable, and every one of his team-mates will be hoping this is the start of a deluge.
Gabriel Martinelli (8/10):
Tapped in Saka's cross but was offside. Scored the second just after the hour after a fine assist from Lewis-Skelly. Never stopped running.
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Cristhian Mosquera (6/10):
On for Gabriel. Didn't do anything wrong after stepping into defence.
Ethan Nwaneri (6/10):
On for Eze. Didn't have a chance to run at Atleti.
Christian Norgaard (6/10):
Replaced Zubimendi. Slotted into midfield.
Mikel Merino (N/A):
Replaced Gyokeres late.
Ben White (N/A):
On late.
Mikel Arteta (7/10):
This was rather nip and tuck for the first half, but once again set-pieces won the day. His histrionics on the touchline are often distracting – referees need to start booking him for his flagrant misunderstanding of where his technical area ends – but his team are unbelievable on their day, and this was one of their days.