In late games in the Champions League, Atletico Madrid travel to face Arsenal in the Champions League, while Manchester City travel to Villarreal. Earlier in the day, Barcelona drew Olympiakos.
Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid: Atleti struggle to open
While Arsenal started the game more with an early flurry of chances, including a header from Eberechi Eze, Atletico Madrid worked their way back into the game after that. The Gunners’ chances need more work, and Atleti themselves began to make inroads into the Arsenal defence, with Julian Alvarez unable to bend the ball into an open goal after David Raya was caught in the posts, and a run from Argentina ended up hitting the bar.
In the second half, it appeared that Atlético were set to continue their high form. With Alvarez and Nico Gonzalez leading the charge, Diego Simeone will be delighted with the impact of his orders. Alvarez turned inside shortly after, and a superb effort was headed over the bar from the left side of the box.
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However, a breakdown in their defence, combined with that extra desire, caught Los Rojiblancos out. Gabriel Magalhaes escaped the Atleti mark from a set piece to head in after 57 minutes. With Atletico held in the ascendancy, after seven minutes Myles Lewis-Skelly picked the ball in the Midfield and danced two Atteri players, before he ran two players, before his driving run and the ball in Marcos Llorente took two more players. Gabriel Martinelli got onto the ball, finishing in the far corner.
At this time, the arsenal was rampant, and all attacks were not poison. After another comment down the left led to a cross not being cleared properly, viktor gyokeres held off defenders to knock the ball into the side box for the game six. The 13-minute demolition was completed after another set piece by Gabriel that could not be tabbed and at the back post, and the gyokeres blossomed first when he knocked where he knocked where he knocked.
The last 20 minutes were the limit of pure injury for Atlético, from the player to the Manager looked sheepish after the game. Arsenal certainly had the better chances before the opening goal, but hope grew in the second half. They also defend in their box, and the struggle to open and attack without being vulnerable in these big games will affect Sime.
Villarreal 0-2 Manchester City: Guardiola’s side in control
There were early signs of what was to come for Villarreal, when at the end of five minutes, Jeremy Doku forced a good save from Luiz Junior, and angling Haaland in the head. Manchester City quickly realized that Alfonso Pedraza could not deal with the cunning of Savinho on the left, and began to sink deep into the yellow air and deep into their box. When the goal came, it felt inevitable. After 17 minutes, Savinho slid the ball to the line of Rico Lewis, and Erling Haaland lost his man in the box to open up.
Before the break, City made good on their complete dominance. Savinho stood up to Pedraza, and smashed the ball into the six yard box, finding Benardo Silva who could not be written home.
There was little to report in the way of Villarreal’s chances in the first half, but Marcelino Garcia Toral’s brace helped matters. The dominance of the city was felt by all, they did not complete many goals or feel in danger of giving up the result. However, Nicolas Pepe converted either of his two late chances, then the yellow underground could have stood the chance of a late onslaught with a point.
The only wide effort from Pape Surmaarine was very close to the yellow sea broke in Ederson’s goal, but the difference between the two sides was clear, in the disabled night of Villarreal.