Arsenal 3-0 Athletic Club Player Ratings: Viktor Gyokeres Rated 7.5/10 as Arsenal Beat Bilbao in Emirates Cup Final

Arsenal and Athletic Club went up against each other on 9th August, 2025, for the Emirates Cup final match. Goals from Gyokeres, Saka, and Havertz sealed the deal for the Gunners.

Read on to find the Arsenal vs Athletic Club Player Ratings.

The match went on with attacks from both ends. However, in the 35th minute, magic happened after Gyokeres broke the deadlock with a header that came from a Zubimendi cross. The fans were buzzing after the goal.

It did not take long for the Gunners to double up as in the 37th minute, Martinelli's pass to Saka allowed the Englishman to double up their lead. In the flash of two minutes, Athletic Club were 2 goals behind.

After the half-time whistle, the score stood 2-0.

Substitutions came from both sides after the beginning of the 2nd half.

In the 82nd minute, Kai Havertz scored the 3rd goal of the match. After the full-time whistle, the score stood 3-0.

Here are Arsenal vs Athletic Club player ratings.

Arsenal Player Ratings

Here are Arsenal Player Ratings:

Goalkeeper

David Raya- 6/10

David Raya was as lively as he has ever been since joining Arsenal. From making the textbook saves to remedying his teammates' mistakes, he did it all today!

Defenders

Jurrien Timber- 5/10

Contrary to Calafiori, who was given the green light to stay more forward, Jurrien Timber had more defensive duties to perform. He stayed at the back and added to Arsenal's defensive solidity today.

William Saliba- 6/10

William Saliba takes the title for best defender for Arsenal today. From his passing contributions to his defensive solidity, he was crucial for Arsenal in the backline today.

Gabriel- 5.5/10

Even though at times he made some scrappy plays, Gabriel had a solid presence in the backline for Arsenal today. His chemistry with William Saliba was just as solid as it was last season.

Riccardo Calafiori- 5/10

Riccardo Calafiori began the game with a sloppy mistake in the 16th minute when he almost gifted the ball to Galarreta. Thankfully, Raya was there to rescue.

Midfielders

Declan Rice- 6/10

Declan Rice played the role of Arsenal's backbone today. In addition to providing the ultimate shield for the Arsenal defense today during the oncoming Athletic Club press, he had massive contributions going forward as well.

Martin Zubimendi- 6.5/10

The position interchanging between Martin Zubimendi and Rice was pretty clear during the transitions throughout the game. It's excellent to see the chemistry between these two so early.

Martin Odegaard- 6/10

Martin Odegaard almost got an early assist when he made a sublime pass to Saka, who cut back the ball to find Zubimendi. Unfortunately, the shot went wide. Odegaard had a promising game today in the attacking midfield position.

Gabriel Martinelli- 5/10

Gabriel Martinelli carried a lot of threat on the flank today for Arsenal. However, apart from his pace, the Brazilian did not bring much to the table for the Gunners today.

Bukayo Saka- 6/10

New season, same old Bukayo Saka. The most reliable player on the Arsenal team today, he looked sharp right from the beginning and tested Unai Simon right out of the gate. He has the most influential presence in Arsenal's team. He scored the second goal of the match.

Forwards-

Viktor Gyokeres- 7.5/10

Viktor Gyokeres is still testing the waters and reading the game of both the opposition and his team. However, the forward looked sharp at the front line for the Gunners today. He scored the first goal of the match with a header.

Substitutions

Noni Madueke- 4/10

Noni Madueke came into the game at the beginning of the 2nd half.

Ben White- 4/10

Ben White came onto the game at the beginning of the 2nd half along with Madueke. They replaced Calafiori and Martinelli.

Kai Havertz- 6/10

Kai Havertz came into the match in the 71st minute to replace Viktor Gyokeres. He scored the 3rd goal of the match.

Myles Lewis-Skelly- 4/10

Myles Lewis-Skelly came into the game in the 64th minute to replace Timber. He was booked with a yellow card.

Manager

Mikel Arteta- 7/10

Mikel Arteta would definitely be happy today with how his team performed. He would be particularly excited to see how Viktor Gyokeres performs in the coming days, as the forward looks sharp with his movements up front.

Athletic Club Player Ratings

Here are Athletic Club Player Ratings:

Goalkeeper

Unai Simon- 6.5/10

Unai Simon was definitely the better keeper between the two. From making multiple saves to keep his team in the game to quality distributions, he was phenomenal today, excluding the two goals he had to endure in the span of two minutes after defensive erros.

Defenders

Yuri Berchiche- 5/10

Yuri Berchiche had a decent game today. He managed to keep Gyokeres at check along with his defensive peers. However, he picked up an early yellow that denied him much freedom for the rest of the game.

Inigo Lekue- 5/10

Inigo Lekue had a poor performance today, especially in the first half when Athletic Club defenders were caught sleeping in a span of two minutes.

Dani Vivian- 5.5/10

Although Dani Vivian played his part in the below-average defensive work of Athletic Club today, he seemed to compose himself as the match went on. However, the 2-goal lead of Arsenal became a pain as time went on.

Jesus Areso- 5/10

Even though Jesus Areso was given the green light to stay forward in today's game, after the quick two goals that Athletic Club endured in two minutes, he was pulled back to perform his defensive duties.

Midfielders

Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta- 5/10

Like his midfield peers, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta had seen very less touches of the ball: 12 to be precise. It is no wonder that Athletic Club lost the midfield battle in the first half. However, he made a crucial interception that could have been dangerous if not dealt with.

Mikel Jauregizar- 5/10

Though Mikel Jauregizar had an average game, especially after losing the midfield battle in the first half, he won all his ground duels. Moreover, his one interception in the first half was crucial.

Nico Williams- 5.5/10

Contrary to what we are used to seeing, Nico Williams was kept shut in the majority of the game today. At the end of the first half, he had around 70% passing accuracy, but the winger had no successful dribbles in the first half.

Inaki Williams- 5/10

The captain of Athletic Club, Inaki Williams, was also kept shut by the Arsenal defenders today. In the whole of first half, he had only 9 touches of the ball. His passing accuracy was around 83%.

Unai Gomez- 5/10

Unai Gomez had a good game for Athletic Club today. However, the midfielder picked up an injury in the 23rd minute that seemed dangerous for a moment. It was confirmed moments later when he was subbed off.

Forwards

Alex Berenguer- 5/10

Alex Berenguer seemed visibly upset after Arsenal went 2-goals clear in the span of two minutes. However, the forward was more upset that he did not see many of the balls at the front line.

Substitutions

Robert Navarro- 4/10

Robert Navarro came onto the game in the 26th minute to replace Unai Gomez, who was forced out due to injury.

Mikel Vesga- 4/10

Mikel Vesga came to the match in the 46th minute to replace Galarreta.

Maron Sannadi- 4/10

Maron Sannadi came onto the game in the 46th minute to replace Inaki Williams.

Adama Boiro- 4/10

Adama Boiro came onto the game in the 64th minute to replace Berchiche.

Andoni Gorosabel- 4/10

Andoni Gorosabel came onto the game in the 64th minute to replace Nico Williams.

Manager

Ernesto Valverde- 4/10

Ernesto Valverde was the unhappy manager between the two. Even though he made the substitutions early, the fate of the match was pretty much sealed after the first two goals.

Sportsdunia player of the match is Viktor Gyokeres.