Rampant Arsenal blow Atletico Madrid away in 13 devastating minutes

OUT OF REACH: Gabriel heads home Arsenal's opening goalat the Emirates Stadium. Pic: John Walton/PA

Champions League

Arsenal 4

Atletico Madrid 0

Set piece again, Ole, Ole. That was the ironic chant ringing around the red side of north London on Tuesday night as Mikel Arteta’s side took apart one of the best defences in Europe with four second half goals in 13 minutes, kick-started by a devastating free-kick move. That was headed in by defender Gabriel before forwards Gabriel Martinelli and a Viktor Gyokeres double left Diego Simeone’s Spanish La Liga side lost and listless.

The result marked Atletico Madrid’s heaviest defeat in the Champions League, out of their 182 matches. At a time when their detractors accused Arteta’s side of lacking their attacking flair of recent seasons, the Premier League leaders turned on their turbo boosters and comfortably won their third consecutive Champions League game of the season without conceding a goal. Not only that, it was not until the 77th minute that they allowed the opposition a first shot on target in three matches!

With nine clean sheets in their 12 matches his season, the bookmakers’ favourites to win both domestically and in Europe are in a wonderful moment. Arteta’s job now is to somehow maintain these levels for another seven months or so. That would be unprecedented, but it is the target the Basque boss has set himself.

The Arsenal fans clearly do not care how the goals come, so long as their side win and challenge for silverware at the end of the season.

Arsenal’s high tempo passing and pervasive pressing simply suffocated their highly rated Spanish opponents, who just about stayed in the game in the opening 20 minutes.

The Spaniards, who play like the Argentine team their infamous coach played for 108 times, were more ambitious after the break. Julian Alvarez, the former Manchester City forward, curled a 20 yard effort smack against David Raya’s cross bar as Arsenal only briefly struggled to get back to the pace of the match.

Then, after Martinelli had been hacked down, came the 57th minute dead ball moment of brilliance to give Arsenal a deserved lead. Declan Rice curled in from the left and Gabriel timed his run to perfection to head in virtually unchallenged for his second goal of the season.

Moments later the player Arsenal fans call the King of Brazil, was in his own penalty area other end blocking a dangerous Simeone shot that could so easily have been a quick equaliser.

The ‘set piece again’ chant could not have been louder as the home supporters taunted their rivals inside the stadium and any who might be watching on television. ‘Are you Tottenham in disguise?’ was next on their song sheet.

The goal released all inhibition on the pitch too and the recalled Myles Lewis-Skelly played in Martinelli to score a wonderful free-flowing second after 64 minutes.

Swedish striker Gyokeres finished another move with a scruffy close range finish three minutes later to end a run of nine games for club and country without a goal. He doubled his tally from a Gabriel assist at another brilliant Rice corner in the 70th minute.

It was a real part atmosphere for Arteta and his men who started the game as they finished it — on top.

Atletico keeper Jan Oblak kept things level early on when he came out to brilliantly block a Bukayo Saka shot after the Arsenal captain had been sent clear but his England team-mate Eberechi Eze.

Oblak, 32, was one of a few survivors from the Simeone side that went up against an Arsene Wenger Arsenal team the last time they played in this stadium, for a Europa League semi-final in 2018.

Saka made his breakthrough later that year and none of the Arsenal line-up last night bore the mental scars of that Simeone success.

A moment of not wholly uncharacteristic misjudgement by Arsenal keeper Raya gifted Simeone’s son Giuliano a chance to score when he left himself stranded out of the area after needlessly abandoning his area to escort a Madrid through ball out of play. All he did was concede possession on the touchline and leave an empty net. Young Simeone curled a shot narrowly wide as Raya ran back to cover his error.

That, the Alvarez shot against the woodwork and a Martin Zubimendi yellow card that keeps him out of their next match away to Slavia Prague, were the only moments of concern for Arsenal in an otherwise exemplary victory.

ARSENAL: Raya 6, Timber 8 (White 83), Saliba 7, Gabriel 8 (Mosquera 72), Lewis-Skelly 6, Rice 8, Zubimendi 7 (Norgaard 73), Eze 7 (Nawneri 73), Saka 8, Martinelli 8, Gyokeres 7 (Merino 83). 

ATLETICO MADRID: Oblak 8, Gimenez 6 (Baena 63), Koke 6 (Gallagher 63), Barrios 6, Sorloth 5 (Almada 72), Llorente 6, Hancko 6, Alvarez 7, Simeone 7 (Griezmann 72), Gonzalez 6 (Ruggeri), Le Normand. 

Referee: Davide Massa (Italy) 6.