Arsenal – Atlético Madrid: Arsenal Announce Themselves Again On the Big Stage (4-0)

Arsenal fans could barely believe what they witnessed at the Emirates Stadium against the most successful club in European competition in April, but lightning has struck twice in a matter of months. Against the other big outfit from the Spanish capital, they produced a dominant display with a devastating spell that set apart the sides by full time as belief builds in North London.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

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When Arsenal approached Mikel Arteta to take charge in 2019, many expected his final vision to involve pulsating performances full of flair. The summer spending, spread across eight incomings, should be enough to bring it to fruition, but the team’s identity is much more focused on stability and solidity. Clean sheets against Athletic Club and Olympiacos have backed up the domestic results for the Premier League table toppers, who have conceded just three goals across three league fixtures.

The choices of the Arsenal manager might not please many, but Atlético Madrid will respect their art. Often more of an offensive force than first perceived, the side have forged a competitive edge under Diego Simeone through physical presence, defensive discipline and an appreciation for the dark arts. All three traits would be integral in this encounter: the guests are winless across their five away days this season, having lost 3-2 to Liverpool at Anfield in their first fixture of the continental campaign.

Diego Simeone switched two players from the starting eleven he picked in a 1-0 triumph over Osasuna. He benched Álex Baena, and Giuliano Simeone slipped in on the right of the midfield. Koke and Pablo Barrios sat in the pivot and Nicolás González completed the quartet. Summer signing Dávid Hancko held onto his role as left back in a defense that included Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, and José Giménez. Antoine Griezmann gave way to Alexander Sørloth in the front two.

Arteta changed two members of the lineup that he picked at Fulham in a 1-0 win on the weekend. Myles Lewis-Skelly stepped in for Riccardo Calafiori as the left back in a stable defensive unit. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães remained the rock in the middle of the rearguard while Jurriën Timber took his typical position as right back. Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, and Eberechi Eze stayed as the midfield unit while Gabriel Martinelli swapped in for Leandro Trossard as a left winger.

Arsenal’s attack in evolution

Arsenal are full of confidence, and they kicked off this clash with the intent to put their foot on the opponents’ throat. Inside the first five minutes of the match, they twice smothered Atlético’s buildup with their classic high pressing structure. On the second occasion, Eze broke forward, and his strike deflected off the trailing leg of Hancko onto the bar before Rice volleyed the rebound over the bar.

The hosts expected to have phases when their pressing and possession would encourage Atlético to sit deeper. Fresh from a talismanic half of football against Fulham, Saka stepped on the gas again. Whether it was slipping down the outside of Hancko to look for right footed deliveries, well-timed movement off the shoulder of the fullback, or combinations to get inside, he was the biggest threat.

All that was missing in the first 25 minutes of the match was the application of the final touch. For all of his willingness to work hard, Gyökeres has a tendency to look early for channel runs close to the ball. This limits his ability to create separation at crosses when the spaces are compact in the box.

14^th minute: offensive sequence from Arsenal. Eze had pulled inside Koke, leaving Saka isolated against Hancko. He uses his classic one-two combination, working off of Timber, to get moving towards the box. Gyökeres was stuck at the far post and Saka’s shot was smothered by Giménez.

Eze also is trying to bed into the tactical framework with his new team. The attacking midfielder nearly picked out his teammate with a through ball from deep, and some excellent vision on the edge of the penalty area released Lewis-Skelly for an effort, but the connection with Saka from a right sided position will need to be worked on. Atlético kept hanging on and waited for their moment.

Alvarez attempts to engineer a shock

Having not conceded a single shot on target in their last two games, Arsenal were most likely to have to be the engineers of their own downfall in this encounter. Indeed, David Raya briefly lost focus, hesitantly dealing with a loose ball down the channel against Giuliano Simeone, and Alvarez flashed a strike wide of the target. However, the two Argentines would continue to demonstrate their quality.

Sørloth seemed a sensible addition to the lineup as a defensive asset against the physicality of the hosts from set-pieces, but he struggled to dominate the duels against Gabriel and Saliba in transition. The moments when Atlético could get out from their deeper block relied on the running of Alvarez, whose tireless work rate and strong ball handling against bigger defenders offered a lot more relief.

27^th minute: offensive sequence from Atlético Madrid. Lewis-Skelly slightly miscontrolled a long ball from Le Normand, and Alvarez swiftly pounced on the error. The left back lunged to send the ball to Gabriel, whose header fell for Barrios. At a more settled second phase, Alvarez could attack the channel that both left sided defenders had vacated, and Sørloth spun left to be a target for a cross.

Lewis-Skelly can also be a little positionally unsure of himself against runners as a left back. Giuliano Simeone was a willing runner infield, and Alvarez dropped into the pockets off the last line to the right of Sørloth to try and help pull the team up the pitch. It did not produce too much in terms of concrete danger, but Alvarez did dig out an early second half shot that smashed the crossbar.

Another Madrid mangling

Arsenal fans waited with bated breath for the opening goal of the game but there is a tacit expectation that set-pieces shall be the answer to their prayers. So it proved again. The mid-block did enough to force a misplaced layoff out of González, and Martinelli picked up the pieces, driving forward up the field. Llorente lunged in for an unsuccessful tackle, leaving Rice to line up a set-piece delivery. His free kick was on the money, and Gabriel got his customary header, steering the ball beyond Oblak.

But Atlético were quickly quietened with a second strike from Arteta’s men. Saka stayed composed, fed the ball back to Zubimendi, and the path to Lewis-Skelly emerged. The left back saw space and drove through it, sidestepping Simeone before powering past Alvarez and Gallagher to break the lines. Llorente was caught between moving out to the ball carrier or sticking with Martinelli, and the wide forward was free to receive, squaring up to slap a postage stamp finish into the net at the far post.

MYLES LEWIS SKELLY YOU ARE A LEGEND

MARTINELLI WHAT A FINISH pic.twitter.com/cWhbxBDSJG

— George (@George_Zur) October 21, 2025

Memories of Madrilenian magic were flooding back for fans, and more was to come. Zubimendi pulled the strings, popping the ball around Alvarez before swiveling to send one of his lobbed, mid-range passes over the last line for Martinelli to chase. Hancko stayed tight to Gyökeres inside the danger zone, but Eze motioned into a scissor volley as a late runner. His deflected effort fell for the striker, who could not get away a clean strike but saw the ball trickle off Hancko and into the net.

Albeit with a lot of fortune, a seven game scoreless streak was over for Gyökeres, who put the proverbial icing on the cake. The striker swerved around Le Normand and a poorly placed clearing header from Barrios handed the hosts another set-piece. Rice slung the delivery to the far post, where Gabriel got free from Gallagher, and his glanced header met the hip of the summer signing.

The scoring spree was over, and Arteta sent on the cavalry. Cristian Nørgaard, Cristhian Mosquera, Mikel Merino, Ethan Nwaneri, and Ben White helped to see out the final twenty minutes of the match. It was a brilliant sight to see for supporters, whose confidence continues to grow in Arteta’s squad.

Takeaways

It has been statement season for Arsenal in the last three and a half weeks. They have ended hoodoos against Newcastle United, West Ham United, and Fulham before battering Atlético in this encounter. An elite defense, Saka’s smart decision making, and set-pieces remain the three pillars of the side’s success, but the quality of options around these foundations has forged a higher floor than in the past. The season is still young, but Arsenal are again looking like an outfit to be feared across Europe.

Atlético Madrid undoubtedly had their toughest test of the campaign. It was a chastening night for Simeone, who has not seen his side concede four goals in thirteen minutes at any point in his career with the team. He will be bitterly disappointed with the loss of defensive discipline in this phase that allowed the game to get away from his players. However, he knows that this version of the team have different strengths, and the visit of Union Saint-Gilloise will be a chance to go and put things right.

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