Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres rediscovered his scoring touch in stunning fashion, netting twice as the Gunners crushed Atletico Madrid 4–0 in their UEFA Champions League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
After a tight first half, goals from Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring floodgate, before Gyokeres, who had gone nine games without finding the net struck twice in a blistering 13-minute spell to seal the win.
The result maintains Arsenal’s perfect Champions League record this season, joining Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan as the only sides with nine points from three games.
For Gyokeres, who joined from Sporting Lisbon to solve Arsenal’s long-running striker issue, the brace was a welcome return to form. Before this game, he had only managed three goals in 11 appearances.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, remain winless away from home this season. Their collapse in the final half-hour will no doubt worry manager Diego Simeone, as his team struggled to match Arsenal’s intensity after a competitive start.
The Gunners’ defensive solidity continued to shine, with another clean sheet meaning they’ve now conceded just three goals in 12 games across all competitions.
Atletico had early chances to take the lead as Julian Alvarez twice went close, including a strike that rattled the crossbar, while Eberechi Eze’s deflected shot hit the woodwork for Arsenal in the first half.
The deadlock was finally broken when Declan Rice’s pinpoint free-kick found Gabriel, who powered home a header into the bottom corner. Minutes later, Myles Lewis-Skelly, returning at left-back, made an immediate impact with a driving run that set up Martinelli to curl in a superb second goal.
Gyokeres then made it 3–0 with a deflected close-range effort before grabbing his second from another set piece, finishing from point-blank range after Gabriel’s header caused chaos in the box.
With the game wrapped up, Mikel Arteta took the chance to rest key players ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.
Arsenal, who reached the Champions League semi-finals last season for the first time since 2009, look even stronger this time around after another busy summer transfer window. Arteta’s men are now dreaming of finally conquering Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
Atletico, on the other hand, face mounting pressure with only three points from their opening three group matches, following another tough trip to England after last month’s loss to Liverpool.
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