GYöKERES ENDS DROUGHT AS RUTHLESS ARSENAL COMPLETELY DESTROY HELPLESS ATLETICO MADRID
Arsenal dominated Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League. Gabriel, Martinelli, and a Gyokeres brace seal a commanding win, sending the Gunners to 9 points and top of the group with a formidable defensive display.
Before Gyokeres snapped his nine-game goal drought in a 13-minute burst either side of the hour, Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli opened the floodgates.
As the only teams with nine points from their first three games, the Premier League leaders are also comfortably positioned at the top of the Champions League standings, alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, the finalists from the previous season.
During the Gunners' incredible start to the season, Mikel Arteta had very few concerns about Gyokeres' lack of goals.
The Swede, who joined from Sporting Lisbon to help Arsenal finally have a clinical number nine, had only scored three goals in his previous 11 outings, against Nottingham Forest and Leeds at home.
Diego Simeone will be concerned at the way Atletico collapsed during a competitive first hour, since the Spanish team is yet to win away from home this season.
Arsenal has only given up three goals in their last 12 games across all competitions this season after keeping another clean sheet.
Julian Alvarez had two chances to give the visitors the lead. He missed a bad clearing by David Raya in the first half and struck the bar from beyond the box early in the second half.
In Arsenal's greatest shot of the first half, Eberechi Eze's deflected drive also missed the woodwork.
However, Arteta's players were able to create the breakthrough by using their strength from set pieces, as has been the case so frequently in recent years.
A superbly weighted in-swinging free kick from Declan Rice allowed the stooping Gabriel to head the ball into the bottom corner.
The only two changes Arteta made from Saturday's 1-0 victory at Fulham were the recall of Myles Lewis Skelly at left-back.
The England international, who has spent the majority of the season playing second fiddle to Riccardo Calafiori, demonstrated Arteta's abundance of alternatives with a strong run to set up the second goal.
Martinelli scored his third goal in as many Champions League games after Lewis Skelly found him and he curled it into the far corner.
Gyokeres then had the stroke of luck he needed to break his goalless streak as his close-range attempt bounced off David Hancko, leaving Jan Oblak defenceless.
Three minutes later, as Gabriel once more won the first header to Rice's corner, Gyokeres scored from much closer.
With an eye toward Sunday's Premier League visit from Crystal Palace, Arteta could afford to bench Gabriel, Gyokeres, Eze, Jurrien Timber, and Martin Zubimendi in the closing minutes.
Last season, before falling to eventual winners PSG, Arsenal advanced to the semi-finals for the first time since 2009.
After another summer of significant transfer market spending, the Gunners seem even more formidable as they look to win Europe for the first time in the club's existence.
Atletico has only three points from their first three games, and they were also defeated at Liverpool last month during their last trip to England.
MARTIN ODEGAARD AND KAI HAVERTZ MISS FINAL TRAINING; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES FADING
Arsenal's Champions League hopes are in doubt as Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz miss final training ahead of the Atletico tie.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz didn’t show up for Arsenal’s open training on Monday, just a day before the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Both missed Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham because of injuries: Odegaard with his knee and Havertz with a muscular problem.
Odegaard hurt his knee in last week’s draw with Atletico, while Havertz hasn’t played since picking up an issue against Newcastle. After beating Fulham, Mikel Arteta sounded confident they’d be ready for Atletico, but on Monday neither player was seen with the first team. That’s a big hint they won’t be involved at the Emirates.
Arteta is set to speak to the media soon, though don’t expect him to spill much; he’s known for keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to team news.
There were a couple more missing faces at London Colney. Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) were also absent. Timber hasn’t featured since before the international break, and it’s unclear when he’ll return, but Arsenal hope it’s before the end of the season. Merino’s been out nearly three months since foot surgery. He might not play again this month.
On the upside, Bukayo Saka was back in training after getting subbed at halftime against Fulham, where he started his first Premier League game since mid-March.
Now, Arsenal really have a headache. Odegaard, who scored 15 goals last season, just hasn’t looked the same. Staff are increasingly worried about him; he’s missed 25 games in all competitions this year, thanks to a pileup of injuries: two freak shoulder issues, two muscular injuries, and the recurring knee problem. When he’s fit, Odegaard can still make magic happen; just look at his four assists across six games in January, but right now, his body keeps letting him down.
Havertz’s story isn’t much brighter. He’s managed only 20 appearances this season, mostly because of a serious knee injury in the summer and more muscle problems afterward. He’s Arsenal’s top earner at £280,000 a week, while Odegaard sits fourth at £240,000. Having two high-paid players sidelined so often is not ideal, and Arsenal need answers.
To try to sort out this ongoing injury crisis, Arteta has reportedly brought in a trusted expert from the medical field to lead an investigation. Arsenal hope this move finally sheds some light on their troubled injury record.
DECLAN RICE ACCUSES REFEREE OF CRUMBLING UNDER PRESSURE IN MADRID PENALTY DRAMA
Arsenal head to the Emirates with a 1-1 draw, but Declan Rice is fuming over the officiating standards in the Champions League.
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Declan Rice didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, backing Mikel Arteta’s outrage and insisting the team deserved a “clear” penalty. He even went so far as to say that Atlético Madrid’s fans pushed the referee, Danny Makkelie, into changing his mind.
Arteta was livid. Late in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Makkelie first pointed to the spot for Arsenal after Eberechi Eze went down. But surrounded by Diego Simeone’s wild sideline antics and the roar of 70,000 Atleti supporters, Makkelie stared at the replay 13 times, then flipped his call and waved play on.
Looking back on it, Rice couldn’t believe it. “It’s a clear penalty,” he said. “I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans got to him and changed his mind. UEFA is just a different world. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because referees call everything.”
Arsenal ran into trouble with VAR twice. First, the ref ruled Ben White handled a Llorente volley, and Julián Álvarez buried the resulting penalty, cancelling out Viktor Gyökeres’ earlier spot-kick. Rice felt for White. Talking with Stan Sport, he said, “If that happens in the Premier League, it doesn’t get given. The ball’s hardly off the ground, and it’s not even on target. But in the Champions League, the refs make these snap calls and whistle for everything. It’s just more strict. But whatever, we move on. We want to beat them next week.”
Despite the drama, Arsenal is still in a solid spot. They’ll head back to London, hoping the home crowd can push them into their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, freshly back from an Achilles injury, is counting on it. “We’d have liked to win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s halftime, and we’re full of confidence going back to the Emirates,” he said. “I’m sure the atmosphere will be even bigger, and that will give us a real boost.”
Before that return leg, Arsenal face Fulham at home on Saturday. They could put more heat on Manchester City by stretching their Premier League lead, though City still has games in hand and plays Everton next. The race is on.
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