Arsenal 3-0 Athletic Club – Report, result and goals as Gyokeres bags first Gunners goal

Arsenal responded almost immediately, with Viktor Gyokeres drawing a sharp stop from Simon after being found by Saka.

The breakthrough came in the 34th minute. From a well-worked corner, Martin Zubimendi’s delivery found Gyokeres, who powered a header into the bottom-left corner to give Arsenal a deserved 1-0 lead.

Just two minutes later, the Gunners doubled their advantage. Gabriel Martinelli slipped a clever ball into Saka on the right side of the box, and the England international rifled his shot low into the far corner for 2-0.

Arsenal’s two quick goals put them firmly in control by half-time, though not without the visitors still offering moments of threat. The Gunners, however, managed the game well heading into the break.

Mikel Arteta rang the changes at half-time, with Noni Madueke and Ben White replacing Gabriel Martinelli and Riccardo Calafiori.

Athletic also reshuffled, introducing fresh legs including Maroan Sannadi and Mikel Vesga.

The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with Arsenal dictating possession and looking to kill the game off.

Jurrien Timber had a good chance in the 53rd minute but headed over from close range following a corner. On the hour mark, Gyokeres came inches from his second goal, rattling the post with a well-placed header from Madueke’s cross.

Both managers used the fixture to rotate heavily, with multiple substitutions on 63 and 64 minutes.

For Arsenal, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Cristhian Mosquera entered the fray, while Athletic made a triple change. The game briefly lost its rhythm as the new players settled, but Arsenal’s control remained in place.

The Gunners’ persistence paid off in the 82nd minute. A swift counter-attack saw Saka burst forward before slipping a precise pass into Kai Havertz, who had replaced Gyokeres earlier.

The German kept his composure, slotting a left-footed strike into the bottom-right corner to make it 3-0 and put the result beyond doubt.