Diego Simeone was up to his old tricks after what Arsenal star did vs Atletico

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid started as thrillingly as anticipated. 

Two of the best clubs to never win the Champions League met on matchday three of the 2025/26 campaign on the road to rewriting their history.

Arsenal started well against Atletico, pressing in all areas and threatening Jan Oblak’s goal early on.

Though Mikel Arteta has great respect for Diego Simeone, it came as no surprise to see a disturbance on the touchline within the opening ten minutes.

• READ MORE: Atletico Madrid were angry at Arsenal before the Champions League clash even kicked off

Diego Simeone was fuming with Myles Lewis-Skelly in Arsenal’s clash with Atletico Madrid

Simeone instructed Arteta to keep doing what he’s doing pre-match, with the Atletico boss perhaps seeing some of himself in the Arsenal manager.

Not only is Arteta a tactical genius when it comes to defending like his opponent, but he can also find himself in hot water on the touchline.

Early into the contest at the Emirates, Simeone was absolutely furious, screaming at the fourth official to book Myles Lewis-Skelly after the Arsenal youngster’s foul on Giuliano Simeone.

Simeone, the Atletico manager’s son, had his run blocked by Lewis-Skelly, who committed a tactical foul as the Argentine got on the wrong side of him.

It was a lively start from both Lewis-Skelly and Simeone on the touchline, in what was a highly contested contest from the first whistle.

Lewis-Skelly is tough to beat in the Champions League

Giuliano Simeone might have thought he’d be coming up against Riccardo Calafiori on his trip to North London, but Arteta gave Lewis-Skelly the nod instead.

Arteta has acknowledged Lewis-Skelly’s lack of game time this season, rewarding the teenager with a start on the biggest stage of them all.

Despite the Englishman’s few minutes this term, it’s unsurprising that Arteta started the Hale End graduate, given his form in the Champions League.

Since the start of the 2024/25 Champions League, only Gabriel Magalhaes has maintained a higher duel success rate than Lewis-Skelly, who had won 69.12% of his duels before kick-off.

With a point to prove to both his club and international manager, Lewis-Skelly started strongly against Atletico, not wasting any time to let his presence on the pitch be known to Simeone.