Atletico Madrid star Jose Gimenez has admitted that he and his teammates struggled to play their game because of the way they were pressed by Arsenal.
A second half onslaught saw the Gunners strike four times in the space of 14 blistering minutes, as Mikel Arteta’s team romped to a win that cemented their place in the automatic Champions League qualifying spots.
Arsenal were forced to bide their time and wait for a breakthrough against Diego Simeone’s canny outfit who had started the second period in the ascendancy and were close to taking the lead when Julian Alvarez’s long-range strike rattled the crossbar.
But a becae from Viktor Gyokeres and strikes from Gabriel Martinelli and fellow Brazilian Gabriel secured the emphatic win for the Gunners.
“It was a controlled game, but we struggled to play because they press very well, they always play one-on-one, and we couldn’t find the connections,” Gimenez said.
“We struggled to play, to get out of the back with the ball clean. Credit to them. We have to focus on ourselves and improve for what’s coming next. The goal came from a foul that wasn’t a foul.
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“The 1-0 left us feeling weak, and with the second goal, it was another desperate game, and we couldn’t find our feet.”
Gimenez added: “We’re playing in the Champions League, there are situations that make or break matches, and these kinds of details in such close games are decided by small details.
“It’s not exactly my responsibility, but it has more influence than you might imagine.”
