JUMP TO:
At halftime of Arsenal’s home Champions League match against Atletico Madrid, the Gunners had control but were unable to put the ball in the net.
By the full-time whistle, they had completed an eye-popping onslaught.
A furious second-half flurry of goals gave Arsenal a decisive victory as they gave Atleti a cold shower, winning 4-0 in London on Tuesday to remain perfect through three league phase matches.
At the heart of it all was more excellence on set pieces, as they picked up the opener off the head of their main dead-ball threat, Gabriel.
Seven minutes later, Gabriel Martinelli doubled the lead off great work from Myles Lewis-Skelly, as the hosts achieved an emphatic liftoff in the match.
The goal-rush wasn’t over yet, as Viktor Gyokeres struck twice in quick succession to cap off the scoreline, bagging his first from open play as he finished off a failed Eberechi Eze effort, before tapping in from another successful corner routine two minutes later.
In the end, the ugly final score marked Diego Simeone’s first defeat to Arsenal in three games, and it sent the Gunners near the top of the table with three wins from three, alongside Barcelona, defending champions PSG, and Inter Milan, all of whom also won by lopsided scores.
Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid final score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| Arsenal | 4 | Gabriel (57′), Martinelli (64′), Gyokeres (68′, 70′) |
| Atletico Madrid | 0 | – |
Location: Emirates Stadium (London, England)
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Starting lineups:
Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Raya (GK) — 12. Timber (White, 83′), 2. Saliba, 6. Gabriel (Mosquera, 72′), 49. Lewis-Skelly — 10. Eze (Nwaneri, 72′) , 36. Zubimendi (Norgaard, 72′), 41. Rice — 7. Saka, 14. Gyokeres (Merino, 83′), 11. Martinelli.
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2, right to left): 13. Oblak (GK) — 14. Llorente, 24. Le Normand, 2. Gimenez (Ruggeri, 63′), 17. Hancko — 20. Simeone (Almada, 72′), 8. Barrios, 6. Koke (Gallagher, 63′), 23. N. Gonzalez (Baena, 63′) — 9. Sorloth (Griezmann, 72′), 19. Alvarez.
Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid stats
| Arsenal | Stat | Atletico Madrid |
| 18 | Shots | 11 |
| 7 | Shots on target | 1 |
| 2.16 | Expected goals | 0.67 |
| 52% | Possession | 48% |
| 360 | Accurate passes | 317 |
| 3 | Corners | 4 |
| 14 | Fouls | 10 |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 2 |
Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid live updates, highlights from Champions League
82nd min: Viktor Gyokeres won’t have the chance to push for a hat-trick, as he’s withdrawn and replaced by Mikel Merino. Also withdrawn is Jurrien Timber, with Ben White coming on to replace him.
75th min: Robin Le Normand is booked for a very hard challenge through the back of Viktor Gyokeres. A very deserved booking for a very poor tackle.
72nd min: Diego Simeone uses all his substitutions before Mikel Arteta had even made one, replacing Alexander Sorloth and Giuliano Simeone with Antoine Griezmann and Thiago Almada.
Arsenal then make their first changes, with Cristhian Mosquera, Ethan Nwaneri, and Christian Norgaard replacing Gabriel, Eberechi Eze, and Martin Zubimendi.
This one comes on another set piece as the Gunners swing in a corner and the Swedish striker is there to bundle it home! With Declan Rice swinging the ball deep to the back post, Gabriel comes flying in from the top of box and meets it on the end line, heading it back across goal to Gyokeres standing at point-blank range, there for the tap-in!
Watch both Gyokeres goals in USA:
TWO GOALS IN THREE MINUTES 🤯
Viktor Gyökeres breaks is 9 game goal drought in stlye with a quick fire brace 🔥 pic.twitter.com/G4rxM3CsiJ
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 21, 2025
VIDEO: Watch Gyokeres second goal in UK | Watch both Gyokeres goals in Canada
68th min: GOAL! ARSENAL! VIKTOR GYOKERES HAS A THIRD FOR ARSENAL!!!!!!
Arsenal win the ball in midfield and RACE forward in a vicious counter-attack. With Atleti broken, Declan Rice feeds Gabriel Martinelli down the left who whips a first-time cross to the top of the penalty area for a charging Eberechi Eze.
The former Crystal Palace man is hounded by his defender as he attempts a flying ninja kick, mis-hitting the ball, but his scuffed shot falls right to the feet of Gyokeres on the doorstep with his back to goal, and he turns and fires in the strike!
64th min: GOAL! ARSENAL! Gabriel Martinelli has scored a second for Arsenal, this one coming from open play!
Myles Lewis-Skelly made it happen, driving forward through the centre of Atletico Madrid’s midfield setup, before laying off a vertical feed to Martinelli on the left. The Brazilian then finishes from a tight angle, opening his hips and delivering an exquisite curler past a diving Jan Oblak. They are flying!
Watch Arsenal goal in USA:
Myles Lewis-Skelly GLIDES through the midfield and Gabriel Martinelli finishes in style 🤝🔥 pic.twitter.com/uFvpP3iuHX
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 21, 2025
VIDEO: Watch Martinelli goal in UK
63rd min: Atletico Madrid, now down a goal, are making a triple change, Matteo Ruggeri, Alex Baena, and Conor Gallagher all enter the field of play hoping to change Atleti’s fortunes.
57th min: GOAL! ARSENAL! GABRIEL OFF A SET-PIECE IS INEVITABLE!
After a foul by Marcos Llorente out wide left, Declan Rice swings in a brilliant ball, and Gabriel gets free and heads the ball into the net!!!! This team just continues to deliver from dead ball situations, and the Brazilian defender is their main threat!
Watch Arsenal goal in USA:
Declan Rice puts it on a plate for Gabriel 🍽️💥 pic.twitter.com/bVxaeWkItX
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 21, 2025
VIDEO: Watch Gabriel goal in UK
53rd min: Chance, Arsenal! Jan Oblak comes off his line to stymie a poke from Viktor Gyokeres! The Arsenal striker used physicality to get in front of his defender, and reaches his leg up to reach a cross from the left, touching it on goal, but Oblak read the play brilliantly and came off his line to be in position to smother the shot! A truly excellent save!
50th min: Chance, Atletico Madrid! Julian Alvarez strikes the crossbar from long distance! That’s a rocket of a shot from a good distance out shaded left of centre, but it can’t find the back of the net! He had beaten David Raya!
2nd half kickoff: They’re back out under way at the Emirates as Atletico Madrid get the second half kicked off. Who will find the moment of magic this match requires to get it going?
HALFTIME: Arsenal 0-0 Atletico Madrid
The Gunners controlled most of the opening 45 minutes, but could not generate a strong chance on goal. Their best scoring chance of the first half was a huge deflection off a shot from outside the penalty area.
Arsenal were in complete control of the match, but Julian Alvarez will be furious that he failed to capitalise on the gift David Raya gave him with an open net. Will we see goals in the second half?
39th min: Martin Zubimendi has been booked for a tackle on Nico Gonzalez out on the touchline, and that will see him be suspended for the club’s next league phase match, already picking up three bookings in the first three European matches of the season.
It’s a soft yellow, given for stopping a promising attack. Zubimendi is beyond confused with the decision.
36th min: Chance, Arsenal! Gabriel Martinelli has the ball in the back of the net, but the flag is raised for offside! Martin Zubimendi finds Bukayo Saka down the right, and he crosses it to the front of goal where the Brazilian is clean through and buries it from point-blank!
The replay shows that he indeed had gone just a hair too early prior to Saka’s cross.
34th min: Viktor Gyokeres, who has been criticised for his inability to find the back of the net to begin his Arsenal career, wins a free-kick in a dangerous area to the right of the penalty area. He received the ball in transition down the right wing and looked to poke the ball by Jose Gimenez, before running into the Atleti defender like a brick wall.
The foul results in a yellow card for Gimenez. The free-kick is wasted by Arsenal as they pull it back to Martin Zubimendi centrally but his chip into the area is weak and well short.
25th min: Chance, Atletico Madrid! OH NO! JULIAN ALVAREZ HAS MISSED A COMPLETELY EMPTY NET!
David Raya has created all kinds of problems for himself, coming ALL the way out to the left touchline to challenge possession. While he manages to get the ball out of play, it allows Atleti to take a quick throw and shoot on the empty net, but Alvarez’s attempt from well outside the penalty area flashes just inches wide of the far post! Raya hadn’t tracked back to his net, so the goal was wide open for him to shoot at!
22nd min: Arsenal have been in complete control of this match, and have taken six shots compared to none for Atletico Madrid, but few of those efforts have been promising. They’ve been all over Atletico Madrid, but have been locked in when needing an incisive final ball.
12th min: The referee has let them play so far early in this match. First, Myles Lewis-Skelly puts an arm bar up to prevent Giuliani Simone from getting by him, which draws a foul but no yellow card despite Diego’s protests.
Shortly after, Gabriel Martinelli absorbs a shove from Marcos Llorente but the referee decides not to blow the whistle.
5th min: Chance, Arsenal! It’s been all Gunners to start the match, and they come very close to opening the scoring early! Eberechi Eze takes a shot which takes a massive deflection off David Hancko and loops all the way over Jan Oblak and off the crossbar with a clang!
The rebound falls to Declan Rice, but the Arsenal midfielder drives his follow-up effort into the ground before it leaps up and over the crossbar!
Kickoff: They’re under way at the Emirates! Will Arsenal maintain their perfect start to European play this season, or will Atletico Madrid pull themselves into the top eight conversation?
Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more
15 mins to kickoff: Atletico Madrid have brought 2,300 away fans with them to London for tonight’s match! Will they be heard, or will they be drowned out by the Gunners faithful?
2,300 atléticos are with us today in London.
Thank you so much for your support! ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/tziTrLnwM4
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) October 21, 2025
30 mins to kickoff: Arsenal players who would trigger an accumulation suspension with a booking today include Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, who both picked up yellow cards in each of the team’s first two games.
Clement Lenglet is the only Atleti player in the same boat, and he has not been included in the starting XI, swapped out for Jose Gimenez at centre-back.
Another UCL night in N5 ✨ pic.twitter.com/76OfRmuDas
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 21, 2025
45 mins to kickoff: Arsenal are one of seven teams to have won their first two Champions League matches of the season. One of the others, Barcelona, are up 6-1 on Olympiacos at the moment, so they are likely to secure a third.
Can the Gunners follow suit? Other 2-0 teams in play today include Inter Milan and PSG, while Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Qarabag play tomorrow.
Starboy ⭐ pic.twitter.com/8DB2qKeLOj
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 21, 2025
1 hour to kickoff: Arsenal have clobbered Spanish opponents in recent months under Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners have won their last six games against La Liga opponents by a combined 13-3 scoreline. That stretch includes two games against Real Madrid and one against Athletic Club, a trio of matches they’ve won by a combined 7-1.
1 hour 15 mins to kick: Lineups are in! There’s no surprises for Arsenal, as Jurrien Timber starts at right-back instead of Ben White.
For Atletico Madrid, there are a few more quirks. Koke gets the nod in midfield as his rotation with Conor Gallagher continues. Up front, Antoine Griezmann begins on the bench with Alexander Sorloth given the start alongside Julian Alvarez.
1 hour 30 mins to kick: Diego Simeone has never lost to Arsenal in two career matches, having both come in the 2018 Europa League semifinals. Atleti secured a 1-1 draw at the Emirates in the first leg before winning 1-0 in the second leg.
1 hour 45 mins to kick: Mikel Arteta and Diego Simeone will be facing off for the first time today, but the two already have developed a mutual respect for one another.
Arteta has spoken out ahead of the match about how he believes Simeone a role model.
“Obviously there is someone that I look up to and learn from him in many situations and what is for me outstanding is his passion. I think for how long he’s been in the game and in the same club with the same players, how you still have that hand and that capacity to transmit such an energy and willingness to win. It’s a very tough environment that we live in and to keep convincing players you have to be extraordinary well.”
2 hours to kickoff: It’s been a tough stay for Atletico Madrid in the English capital, as they were apparently without hot water at the Emirates while training in the rain the day before the match. That must have been an uncomfortable afternoon!
They’ve lodged a complaint with UEFA over the incident, and Arsenal have apologised.
Arsenal have apologised after Atletico Madrid complained about a lack of hot water at Emirates Stadium after training on Monday night. Issue was resolved within 40 minutes but Atletico opted to return to their hotel. Story with @alexkirkland: https://t.co/tSIJgoIlNz
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) October 21, 2025
Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid kick off time
This Champions League match kicks off from the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, October 21 at 8 p.m. local time in London, England. Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Tue, Oct. 21 | 3 p.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Tue, Oct. 21 | 12 p.m. PT |
| UK | Tue, Oct. 21 | 8 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Wed, Oct. 22 | 6 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Wed, Oct. 22 | 12:30 a.m. IST |
Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid lineups, team news
Arteta’s side avoided any new injuries in their win over Fulham, but Piero Hincapie remains a slight doubt despite returning to training after a groin issue.
Arsenal are still without Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, all sidelined with knee problems.
Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi will have to watch their discipline, as a booking on Tuesday would see them suspended for the next European game. Arteta could rotate his squad, with Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Martinelli pushing for starts.
Arsenal starting lineup (4-3-3): Raya (GK) — Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly — Eze, Zubimendi, Rice — Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Arsenal subs: Kepa (GK), Setford (GK), White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Calafiori, Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri, Trossard.
Simeone was thought likely to be without Nico Gonzalez after the winger suffered a head injury against Osasuna, but has been given the start in a late bid of fitness. Alongside him in midfield is Koke who continues to rotate with Conor Gallagher.
Up front, Antoine Griezmann is rested, with the prolific Alexander Sorloth given the nod up front alongside talisman Julian Alvarez.
Midfielder Johnny Cardoso remains out with an ankle injury, while defender Clement Lenglet is back in contention after serving a domestic suspension but only makes the bench with Jose Gimenez in the XI.
Atletico Madrid starting lineup (4-4-2): Oblak (GK) — Llorente, Le Normand, Gimenez, Hancko — Simeone, Barrios, Koke, N. Gonzalez — Sorloth, Alvarez.
Atletico Madrid subs: Musso (GK), Lenglet, Galan, Pubill, Ruggeri, Molina, Baena, Gallagher, Griezmann, Martin, Raspadori, Almada.
