What was your favourite part of last night’s win over Atletico Madrid?
The set-piece mastery winding up the usual suspects? Myles Lewis-Skelly staking his claim for a regular starting spot with an incredible driving run to assist Gabriel Martinelli? The Brazilian finding the net with a finish that suggests he might just be back to his best? Martin Zubimendi running the show? Another clean sheet? Viktor Gyokeres ending a recent scoring drought with two of the scruffiest goals you’ll see all season?
Take your pick. It all added up to a cracking night at the Emirates and another sign that Arsenal’s early-season rhythm is gathering pace ahead of Sunday’s tricky trip to Crystal Palace.
For Mikel Arteta, the biggest takeaway was his team’s bravery. A ruthless 13-minute blitz after half-time turned what had been an even contest on its head, underlining the Gunners’ credentials as one of the competition’s early frontrunners.
“Against a team that is so organised, to disorganise them, you have to do something that is not in the book,” he told Arsenal.com.
“We cannot do it through just the pass or just certain patterns. You have to do it by finding that inspiration, those magic moments that we generated throughout the game in different ways. I’m really happy that the team can step up and create those moments.
“It’s a low-scoring sport, so we need to be the best defensively, and the best in attack. That means to be able to score from different angles, from different ways, from different players. We are certainly improving in that category as well.
“I think the overall performance was incredible, the way we dominated and we earned the right to win it and then the efficiency, which at this level in the Champions League is something key.”
As the dust settled, Lewis-Skelly summed it up as “mad” on Instagram – fair enough, given the 18-year-old has packed a lot into the last 12 months, including a recent spell out of the side. His run through midfield for the second goal was the kind of moment that reminds you what a talent the club has on its hands.
“That’s him,” said Arteta of the youngster. “That’s his quality, the way he carries the ball, the way he attracts players, and the ability he has to release the ball in the right moment. Martinelli as well, I think he was superb today.
“It’s really good to see those two changes [to the starting XI], and the impact they have on the team.”
In his post-game press conference, Arteta kept the focus on depth and internal competition, a problem he’s very happy to have.
“This is what we need, and when you look at the top teams in Europe, that’s what they have.
“We have to manage that in a really cohesive system, when everybody understands that they’re going to have different roles throughout the game, or in different games.
“But at the end, the outcome is to earn the right to win games, and to win games. That’s the ultimate goal, and we are seeking the same thing.”
Three games, three wins, no goals conceded – Arsenal are humming in Europe. There’s a long way to go, but nights like this suggest they’re learning how to make the hard work look a little easier.
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