Viktor Gyökeres netted twice in a dominant second-half performance as Arsenal thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, extending their perfect Champions League start to three wins from three.
Goals from Gabriel Magalhães and Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring before Gyökeres broke his nine-game goal drought with a quickfire double in a 13-minute spell around the hour mark.
The result keeps Arsenal top of their group and among an elite trio—including Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan—with a perfect nine points from their opening Champions League matches.
Gyökeres’ form in front of goal had been one of the few concerns in an otherwise stellar start to the season under Mikel Arteta. The Swedish striker, signed from Sporting Lisbon to provide a clinical edge up front, had managed just three goals in 11 appearances before Tuesday night—all in home wins against Leeds and Nottingham Forest.
Atletico, meanwhile, remain winless on the road this season. Despite a competitive first half, Diego Simeone’s side collapsed after the break, raising questions about their resilience away from home.
Arsenal’s defensive solidity was again on display, with another clean sheet taking their tally to just three goals conceded in 12 matches across all competitions this season.
The visitors had early chances to take the lead, most notably through Julian Alvarez, who failed to capitalize on a poor clearance from David Raya and later struck the crossbar with a long-range effort.
Eberechi Eze also came close for the Gunners with a deflected shot that clipped the woodwork in the first half.
The breakthrough came as Arsenal exploited their growing strength from set pieces. Declan Rice delivered an in-swinging free-kick that found Gabriel, who stooped low to head into the bottom corner, setting the tone for a second-half rout.
