Arsenal secured an impressive 4-0 win against Atletico Madrid in their third match of the 2025/26 Champions League on October 21 at Emirates Stadium.
Following an eventful yet goalless first half, Gabriel Magalhaes opened the scoring for Arsenal from an assist by Declan Rice in the 57th minute.
Gabriel Martinelli doubled the Gunners’ lead from an assist by Myles Lewis-Skelly in the 64th minute.
Viktor Gyokeres scored the hosts’ third goal in the 67th minute, followed by finding the back of the net again just minutes later.
Gyokeres arrived at the Emirates from Sporting CP this summer for a reported £64m and netted three goals in his first four games for the Gunners.
However, the 27-year-old star hit a slump following that, and by scoring a brace against the La Liga club, he ended his seven-match goal drought.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Gyokeres’ goals against Atletico earned praise from Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, who mentioned that the Swedish striker makes them ‘a much better team,’ and said,
“He deserved it because everything that we were seeing in terms of what he was bringing to the team and how much he was helping the team in many areas, apart from scoring goals in the last few weeks, there was no debate about that,” as per BBC Sport.
“It was about keeping that belief in himself, that emotional state that he can enjoy and play freely. I think he has certainly done that today, [he had] a big smile on his face. Look at his team-mates as well, in the picture and the video, they are all so happy for him because he fully deserves it.”
“All of us [appreciate Gyokeres] because he makes us a much better team. I think we’ve become much more unpredictable. He’s so physical, opens the spaces for everyone. The way he presses the ball, holds the ball, it’s just phenomenal.”
The Spanish manager also stated that he hopes Gyokeres ‘starts to get some momentum and a good run of goals,’ and added,
“And then the icing on the cake and the biggest thing that we’re going to debate about him is goals. He’s scored two very different ones today, and hopefully he starts to get some momentum and a good run of goals.”
While speaking after the Gunners’ victory over Atletico, Gyokeres claimed that he is ‘more hungry now’ to contribute.
What did new Arsenal signee Viktor Gyokeres say?
Gyokeres highlighted the importance of victories and impressive performances to ‘build confidence in the team,’ and said,
“I’m more hungry now. You always want to contribute with work rate and other stuff, but when you score goals as well, it’s a bit special. So that’s something I always want to do. The group we have and the spirit is something different and something very special,” as per Sportstar.
“When you win games and you do these performances, it builds confidence in the team. The belief has to always be there, but of course this helps to boost it. We just want to keep going like this.”
Gyokeres and Arsenal are now set to return to Premier League action in their match against London rivals Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on October 26.
Arsenal news and related links
