Watch: Fabio Vieira scores sexy goal in purest example of ‘Artetaball’
Arsenal enjoyed a confidence-reinforcing 3-0 win over Lyon in their first Dubai Super Cup match on Thursday, with Fabio Vieira scoring a goal that was the purest essence of ‘Artetaball’.
Almost a month after Arsenal beat Wolves in their final Premier League match before club football went on a break for the World Cup, Mikel Arteta’s side looked sharper than ever in their first of two matches in Dubai.
Arteta named a strong side, with the lineup looking very similar to those seen in the Europa League so far this season.
Eddie Nketiah led the line, with Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes at centre-back and Kieran Tierney, Martin Odegaard and Reiss Nelson among those also starting.
Gabriel opened the scoring with a powerful header from the corner and Nketiah doubled Arsenal’s lead with a tidy finish following good work by Vieira in the build-up.
But the pick of the goals came from Vieira, a summer signing from Porto, who capped off a fabulous team move to leave Arsenal fans purring.
A string of one-touch pass unlocked the Lyon defence before the 22-year-old curled an unstoppable finish into the back of the net.
It all bodes well for the Gunners who opened up a five-point lead at the Premier League summit before the break and Arteta has spoken of the need to reintegrate his World Cup stars back into the swing of domestic matters.
“First we’ll assess them and see how they are psychologically and physically after the tournament they’ve had,” Arteta told Arsenal’s website.
“Some of them are still disappointed with some of the results. Then we’ll try to get them back as quickly as possible in the rhythm and routine they’re used to, to start performing again.”
Arsenal face AC Milan next week, before returning to London to play Juventus in a final friendly before the resumption of the Premier League.
I’d forgot how good Mikel Arteta’s tricky Reds look pic.twitter.com/ha0FIe2qHe
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) December 8, 2022
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