Sitting top of the Premier League and looking to extend their 100% UCL record, Arsenal began brightly, and Declan Rice should have broken the deadlock inside five minutes, lashing over on the rebound after Eberechi Eze’s initial strike cannoned off the post.
Myles Lewis-Skelly then fired wide from inside the box as the Gunners went for the kill early on – though there was also a brief moment of panic when David Raya was caught well outside his goal from a throw-in and Giuliano Simeone narrowly failed to make him pay.
That was a rare moment of Atletico promise though, as Saka teed up Gabriel Martinelli to slot the ball home, but the Brazilian was flagged for offside at the end of a promising first half for Arsenal.
Once again, Diego Simeone’s side threatened to land a sucker punch when Julian Alvarez rattled a long-range strike onto the bar, but it was Arteta’s men who finally struck first via a very familiar method, as Declan Rice floated a free-kick into the box and Gabriel was on hand to head home in clinical fashion.
Undeterred, Atleti came close to restoring parity when David Hancko headed over from Marcos Llorente's enticing delivery.
However, the Gunners took note of that warning and doubled their advantage at the end of a devastating move, which culminated with a wonderful Lewis-Skelly run and pass to tee up Martinelli, who unleashed an unstoppable finish past Jan Oblak.
Viktor Gyokeres then added a third with a very fortuitous finish that took a hefty deflection off Hancko, as the Gunners effectively killed off the game in the space of 11 second-half minutes.
Arteta’s side were in a ruthless mood, adding a fourth to rub salt in Atletico’s gaping wounds via another set–piece three minutes later, with Gabriel heading Rice’s corner back across the face of goal for Gyokeres to knee home his second.
The Olé chants were cascading around the stands, and the North Londoners saw out the closing stages to seal an emphatic win which will make the rest of Europe’s elite stand up and take notice.
The Gunners have now secured four successive clean sheet victories and a seventh win in a row against Spanish opposition. Meanwhile, the Mattress Makers’ six-match unbeaten run was ended in chastening fashion here, and they are still yet to win on the road this season (D3, L3).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)