Arsenal Crushes Atletico Madrid 4-0: Set-Piece Masterclass and Viktor Gyökeres Finally Gets His Goals

Look, I’m not saying Arsenal’s set-piece routine is getting predictable—but at this point, opposing teams might as well just let them practice during the match. The Gunners absolutely demolished Atletico Madrid 4-0 at the Emirates on Tuesday night, and honestly? Diego Simeone’s side looked like they’d rather be literally anywhere else by the end.

This wasn’t just a win. This was a statement. A “we’re coming for everything” kind of performance that should have the rest of Europe taking notes—and maybe sweating a little.

When Arsenal Finally Woke Up

Here’s the thing about this match: for 57 minutes, it was tighter than your uncle’s wallet at Christmas. Both sides had their moments—Arsenal hit the bar, Atletico somehow missed an open goal (seriously, how?), and Julian Alvarez pinged one off the crossbar that had David Raya beaten all ends up. The Emirates crowd was getting a bit antsy, you could feel the tension building.

Then Gabriel decided enough was enough.

Gabriel Opens the Floodgates

Declan Rice—who’s apparently taken “set-piece specialist” to mean “literal magician”—whipped in a delicious free kick from the left touchline at the 57-minute mark. Gabriel, timing his run like he had a stopwatch surgically attached to his brain, powered through a crowd of purple shirts and steered a header into the bottom left corner from six yards out.

The delivery was so perfect that honestly, you’d have to actively try to miss it. And just like that, the dam broke.

Martinelli’s Absolute Banger

Eight minutes later, Myles Lewis-Skelly put on his running shoes and went on a lung-bursting drive through the middle of the park that left Atletico’s midfield looking like traffic cones at a driving school. After drawing multiple defenders, he slipped a gorgeous pass down the inside-left channel for Gabriel Martinelli, who opened up his body and curled a first-time beauty across Jan Oblak into the bottom-right corner.

The Emirates absolutely erupted. You could probably hear the noise in Madrid.

This is the Arsenal we’ve been waiting to see—the one that doesn’t just rely on set pieces (though let’s be real, those are working pretty well too). They can carve you open from open play, and when they do? It’s chef’s kiss material.

Gyökeres Ends His Goal Drought (Finally)

Now let’s talk about Viktor Gyökeres, because this man needed this night more than most of us need our morning coffee.

Seven games without a goal for Arsenal. Nine if you count international duty. The pressure was building, the whispers were getting louder, and you could sense the weight on his shoulders every time he stepped onto the pitch.

Then, in the span of three glorious minutes, he scored twice.

Goal Number One (67th Minute)

Martinelli hooked a cross from the byline to Eberechi Eze, who immediately fed Gyökeres. Robin Le Normand was all over him, but it didn’t matter—the Swede’s shot rebounded off Le Normand’s standing foot, wrong-footed Oblak, and rolled into the net.

Scrappy? Absolutely. Did he care? Not even a little bit. The celebration said it all—pure relief mixed with vindication.

Goal Number Two (70th Minute)

Three minutes later, Arsenal won yet another set piece (are we sensing a theme here?). Rice’s corner found Gabriel at the back post, and the Brazilian defender turned provider, nodding the ball across goal for Gyökeres to bundle home on the line.

Two goals in three minutes after a seven-game drought. If that’s not a confidence booster, I don’t know what is. The Arsenal faithful gave him a standing ovation when he was subbed off late on, and you could see what it meant to him.

Set-Piece Dominance Continues

Can we just take a moment to appreciate Arsenal’s set-piece game? Because it’s genuinely ridiculous at this point.

That Gabriel goal was Arsenal’s tenth set-piece goal of the season. Not a typo. Ten. They’ve essentially weaponized dead-ball situations to the point where you might as well just award them a goal every time they win a corner or free kick in a dangerous position.

Declan Rice deserves a statue outside the Emirates just for his delivery alone. The man can bend a ball like he’s negotiating a hairpin turn at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Atletico’s Nightmare Evening

Let’s spare a thought for Diego Simeone and his Atletico Madrid side—though honestly, they don’t deserve much sympathy after getting completely outclassed in the second half.

Simeone spent most of the final 20 minutes staring at a spot exactly 1,000 yards ahead of him, looking like a man contemplating his life choices. His usually rock-solid defense fell apart faster than a house of cards in a hurricane.

By the time Arsenal were four goals up, the traveling Atletico fans had been stunned into complete silence. Some had probably already left for the airport.

The Emirates crowd, meanwhile, was having the time of their lives, breaking out classic chants like “Are You Tottenham in Disguise?” and “Diego, What’s the Score?” Because why not twist the knife a little?

What This Means for Arsenal