Table of Contents
Arsenal Crush Bayer Leverkusen with Xhaka’s Emotional Emirates Comeback
In a game that had everyone on the edge of their seats, completely smashed Bayer Leverkusen with a 4-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium. This was more than just a big win for the Gunners; it also meant Granit Xhaka was back in the house! This was a huge deal because Xhaka had been playing like a boss for Arsenal before he left for Leverkusen, so everyone was dying to see him play again.
The Story Behind the Match
So, season before this was pretty solid, right? They had been playing really well, and people had high hopes for them this time around. But when Xhaka left for Bayer Leverkusen, it was like someone took a big piece of the puzzle away. Everyone was wondering if they could still rock it without him. So, this game was kind of like a showdown.
How Arsenal Set Up
Mikel Arteta, coach, went with a 4-3-3 formation to keep things spicy. He had Aaron Ramsdale in goal, with Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, and Oleksandr Zinchenko playing defense. In the middle, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard, and Kai Havertz were ready to tear it up, and upfront, it was Saka, Martinelli, and Jesus causing all the trouble.
The plan was to keep the ball a lot and pressure Bayer’s defense hard. They wanted to use Ødegaard and Havertz to be the brainiacs connecting everything.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Game Plan
Bayer’s coach, Xabi Alonso, went with a 4-2-3-1 setup. They had Lukas Hradecky as their last line of defense, with Jeremie Frimpong, Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah, and Mitchel Bakker in front of him. Xhaka was playing with Charles Aránguiz in the middle, and they had Florian Wirtz, Amine Adli, and Moussa Diaby ready to run wild and cause problems for Arsenal’s defenders. The idea was to hit Arsenal fast on the counter when they had the ball.
The Game: Arsenal’s Total Control
they didn’t waste any time getting down to business. They were all over Bayer Leverkusen from the start. Bukayo Saka scored a beauty in the 12th minute, thanks to a perfect pass from Ødegaard. The stadium went nuts! Saka’s goal was like a slap in the face, showing everyone what Arsenal was made of.
Then, in the 29th minute, Gabriel Martinelli did his thing on the left wing. He took the ball ajust smacked it into the net. It was epic! Arsenal’s third goal came from a corner, with Havertz jumping higher than everyone else and heading it in. It showed that Arsenal had some serious moves when it came to set pieces.
Xhaka’s Night
Xhaka playing against his old team was a big deal. Some fans were happy to see him, but others had their doubts. He played hard but Arsenal’s midfield was just too much for him. He’s a good player, but his old team had moved on and didn’t miss a beat without him.
Bayer Leverkusen did get one back, with Patrik Schick scoring a nice goal, but it was too little, too late. Arsenal was like a steamroller, and there was no stopping them.
The Final Whistle
Gabriel Jesus put the cherry on top with a crazy good goal in the 72nd minute. He danced through the Bayer defense and scored like it was nothing. This win was huge for Arsenal’s confidence, and it showed that they’re not playing around this season.
For Bayer Leverkusen, it was a bit of a wake-up call. They’ve got some serious work to do if they want to hang with the big dogs in Europe. They need to tighten up and come up with a better plan.
What It All Means
This win was like a big flex for Arsenal. They showed that they can hang with the best teams and that they
