{"id":12111,"date":"2025-10-22T09:57:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T08:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12111"},"modified":"2025-10-22T09:57:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T08:57:26","slug":"four-heavens-sake-arsenal-blow-atletico-to-smithereens-in-second-half-salvo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12111","title":{"rendered":"FOUR Heavens Sake! Arsenal blow Atletico to Smithereens in Second Half Salvo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Arsenal underlined their credentials as a real European force with a scintillating second half display tonight to devastate one of the most consistent and obdurate European powers in Atl\u00e9tico Madrid. Mikel Arteta picked a side with only two changes from the win at Fulham, MLS coming in at left back and Martinelli taking over the left sided attacking role from Saturday\u2019s scorer Leandro Trossard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening began most agreeably with an early dinner with the Countrymen in Holloway Road at a packed eaterie which we frequent regularly. During the meal we had a very pleasant conversation (in English!) with two extremely nice Atletico supporters delighted to be in London even if their early CL fixtures threw up two English heavyweights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first half was a fast moving chess game with both sides probing and closing down effectively. Atletico\u2019s tactic was to impose a mid-block giving Arsenal more space than they usually enjoy to build attacks from the back. Saka was particularly dangerous on the right flank, combining well on several occasions with Eze and Timber. Arsenal employed a high press looking to restrict Atletico\u2019s ability to move the ball swiftly and Arsenal had the lion\u2019s share of possession in a first half that was tactically fascinating if perhaps not quite as aesthetically pleasing as we would ideally have liked. Aside from Saka, Arsenal were very well-served by Gy\u00f6keres who proved a powerful, mobile and very hard-working fulcrum upfront. He looked more at home in this company than he often has in the Premier League and he was one of the standout players for Arsenal tonight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game almost began with a sensational early goal from a deflected Eze shot which hit the bar. Saka was just foiled when through by a brave piece of goalkeeping from Oblak and Arsenal continued to take the game to Atletico who looked organised and resilient and almost took the lead midway through the half. Raya, as is his wont took something of a risk in running out to the left wing to foil Alvarez, slide-tackling him on the touch line to put the ball out of play. Simeone recovered the ball quickly and threw it to Alvarez who threaded a shot just wide of the vacant goal from the right wing. Atletico then produced a sustained attack following a break from Alvarez but Arsenal eventually smothered the danger. Zubimendi was then booked rendering him unavailable for one of the gentler ties they face against Slavia Prague. That felt to me like a convenient and pragmatic booking but it rendered Zubimendi vulnerable to a second yellow against volatile and theatrical opponents. Gimenez then showed Atletico\u2019s brutal side with a blatant body check on Gyokeres resulting in a deserved yellow card. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal thought they had broken through close to halftime when Martinelli turned a cross from Saka on the right wing into the goal at the far post but he was judged narrowly offside. Half time came with the deadlock unbroken. I had found proceedings fascinating but there was little indication of the thunder that Arsenal were to unleash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halftime – Arsenal 0 Atletico 0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A conversation I overheard at halftime made me despair, one Gooner saying to another that he had found proceedings boring. If you find high octane, technically precise football at this level boring you need to find another pastime. I found it enthralling despite being goalless. Arsenal were mixing it very effectively with a European powerhouse who had recently thrashed Real Madrid 5-1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the second half began Alvarez hit the bar with a spectacular effort and a beautiful improvised chip by Zubimendi, a trademark move of his, almost set up Gy\u00f6keres. My bladder told me that I needed to take a loo break and while I was there a beautiful delivery from a free kick on the left by Declan Rice found Gabriel who he headed decisively home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 1 Atletico 0 – Gabriel <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atletico came back with a flurry of attacks and a raft of substitutions but in the 64th minute a sinuous and determined dribble took MLS deep into the centre of Atletico territory where he set up Martinelli for a curling drive across Oblak and just inside the right hand post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 2 Atletico 0 – Martinelli <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal were rampant now. In the 67th minute a sustained piece of pressure saw the ball  fall to Gy\u00f6keres in the 6-yard box and his shot deflected into  the corner wrong-footing Oblak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 3 Atletico 0 – Gy\u00f6keres <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three minutes later a long Rice corner  from the left found Gabriel whose header back across goal was turned in with his lower abdomen by Gy\u00f6keres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 4 Atletico 0 – Gy\u00f6keres <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal brought off Eze, Zubimendi, Gy\u00f6keres (to a standing ovation) then Gabriel (likewise) and Timber replacing them with Nwaneri, N\u00f8rgaard, Merino, Mosquera and Ben White. Arsenal were determined not to yield their clean sheet and flattened the game very effectively amid an atmosphere of unalloyed delight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a statement performance by an Arsenal side who are beginning to look as good as we have hoped they might be, taking on and crushing one of the most difficult sides to beat in Europe. It was a night when we could have picked any number of candidates for Man of the Match. I found it impossible on what was a night to savour and enjoy. I am starting to feel that we will have many more days and nights to savour this season. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arsenal underlined their credentials as a real European force with a scintillating second half display tonight to devastate one of the most consistent and obdurate European powers in Atl\u00e9tico Madrid. Mikel Arteta picked a side with only two changes from the win at Fulham, MLS coming in at left back and Martinelli taking over the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12111"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12117,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12111\/revisions\/12117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}