Diego Simeone has hailed Arsenal as the “best team” Atletico Madrid have faced this season after his side suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League.
The European clash remained goalless at halftime, but Arsenal came alive after the break, scoring four times in just 13 minutes to seize full control over the La Liga side.
Gabriel Magalhaes broke the deadlock on the hour mark, heading home Declan Rice’s inviting cross, highlighting Arsenal’s ongoing threat from set-pieces.
Brazilian teammate Gabriel Martinelli then doubled the advantage less than ten minutes later following a brilliant run from England’s Myles Lewis-Skelly.
With the game already in their hands, Viktor Gyokeres added two more goals, completing a remarkable night for the Gunners, who now sit joint-top of their Champions League group after three matches.
Following Atletico Madrid’s heaviest Champions League defeat, Simeone praised Arsenal, noting that they have impressed him more than other top opponents this season, including Premier League champions Liverpool and La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Asked if Arsenal are the best team Atletico have faced this season, Simeone told Amazon Prime (via Metro), “Yes, I would say the best team we have faced this season.
“They compete so well, their players run and run and they have quality all over the pitch. They deserved to win today and I want to congratulate them.
“It is a learning curve. We just need to keep improving. I thought we competed really well to begin with. From 60 minutes they were the better team and deserved to win.
“We have to put this behind us now and we need to focus in training on the things that went right and we need to make improvements as well.”
