Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on an Arsenal player after the Gunners thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Gunners cruised to a resounding victory courtesy of four second-half goals in front of a jubilant North Bank inside the Emirates.
Gabriel Magalhaes nodded Arsenal in front shortly after the break, before Gabriel Martinelli slotted home a second and Viktor Gyokeres netted a brace.
The result leaves the North Londoners third in the Champions League table, behind only Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, after three matches.
Mikel Arteta heaps praise on Myles Lewis-Skelly after Atletico Madrid performance
Myles Lewis-Skelly started ahead of Riccardo Calafiori against Atletico, in one of just two changes Arteta made.
The Italian was rested for the clash with the Spanish giants, and his understudy stepped up impressively. Fans were critical of Lewis-Skelly’s first-half performance, but he recovered to produce an immense second-half display.
The teenager looked somewhat lacking in sharpness in the opening 45 minutes and was lucky not to be booked early on for a cynical challenge on Giuliano Simeone.
However, he was outstanding in the second period and sensationally created Martinelli’s goal by striding forward from midfield and setting the ball into the Brazilian’s path.
This set the tone for an exceptional final half an hour, in which he dealt with Simeone and then Thiago Almada, while springing numerous counter-attacks with quick passes forward.
While Martin Zubimendi and Gyokeres will get the headlines for their respective performances, Arteta was insistent on highlighting Lewis-Skelly’s efforts in his post-match press conference.
“Depending on how you look at it,” the manager said.
“If you look at it from what he’s done from December last year to now, at his age, at this level, he’s incredible. But I said it before, he’s been really focused, really humble and really good.
“And when that happens, and you have to play after, you are ready, and I thought he was really good today.”
What Mikel Arteta said about Viktor Gyokeres after Atletico win
Of course, it was a big night for Gyokeres, and Arteta didn’t leave his press conference without praising the Swede.
The striker had failed to score in seven games for Arsenal prior to the Atletico clash, but eventually ended his drought with a couple of poachers goals.
Scuffing home the first, he was then in the right place at the right time to convert the second from a yard out.
These goals will give Gyokeres confidence moving forward, and Arteta waxed lyrical about the 27-year-old making Arsenal more ‘unpredictable’.
“He makes us a much better team,” the Spaniard said.
“I think we’ve become much more unpredictable. He’s so physical, open, his face is for everybody. The way he presses the ball, holds the ball, that’s phenomenal.
“And then there’s only cake, and the biggest thing that we’re going to debate about him is goals. He’s scored two very different ones today, and hopefully he starts to get some momentum and a good run of goals.”
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