Check out the best facts, stats and Opta data from this Champions League match with our Arsenal vs Lille stats page
Arsenal’s perfect start to their Champions League campaign continued as Bukayo Saka starred off the bench in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Lille at the Emirates Stadium.
Jurriën Timber scored the first of Arsenal’s three goals in seven second-half minutes, with Saka then teeing up Eberechi Eze two minutes after replacing Noni Madueke.
Saka got in on the act in the 71st minute after combining with fellow substitute Kai Havertz, as Arsenal followed up their win over Napoli with a more convincing display here.
Arsenal did, however, struggle to find their groove early on but carved out two chances in quick succession, with Bruno Guimarães turning Timber’s cross wide from inside the box, before another delivery from the Dutchman was headed straight at Lille goalkeeper Berke Özer by Mikel Merino.
The visitors then had a goal ruled out for an offside against Ayase Ueda, who finished calmly past David Raya, but the Spaniard’s clean sheet was preserved on the day he went level with David Seaman for most European Cup/Champions League games played among Arsenal goalkeepers (38).
Eze then had a shot saved before Guimarães’ swerving strike in first-half stoppage time almost caught out Özer, who jumped quickly to his feet to swat the ball behind with Viktor Gyökeres waiting to pounce on the rebound.
Lille continued to frustrate Arsenal in the second half and just as Mikel Arteta was preparing to bring on his rested first-team players in Saka, Havertz and Martin Ødegaard, the Gunners took the lead when, in the 64th minute, when Timber collected Madueke’s pass before lofting the ball over Özer.
Saka wasted little time in making his mark on proceedings as he pulled the ball back for Eze to brilliantly stroke home a bouncing effort that nestled into the bottom-right corner.
And the result was sealed four minutes later by Saka, who curled into the back of the net to round off a flowing Arsenal move that saw Havertz and Ødegaard heavily involved.
Guimarães almost capitalised on a mistake by Benjamin André, but his shot was saved, but Arsenal’s blistering seven-minute spell was enough to seal all three points.
Saka Underlines Arsenal’s Quality After Tepid First Half
Despite leaving the likes of Saka, Havertz and Ødegaard on the bench, Arteta was still able to field a front line that consisted of Merino, Gyökeres and Madueke, but the Arsenal boss was forced to turn to his first-team regulars to click his side into gear.
Arsenal have now failed to score a first-half goal in any of their last five games in the Premier League or Champions League. Their last goal before the break was against Chelsea on 6 September, and Arteta sought to change things with a triple substitution just after the hour.
Timber got the Gunners ahead before Saka came to the party, but the England international was key to Arsenal taking the game away from their opponents. After his goal, Saka has now scored 19 goals in major European competition for Arsenal, the outright second most of any player at the club after Thierry Henry (42).
In addition, only Henry (16) and Cesc Fàbregas (14) have more Champions League assists for Arsenal than Saka (nine, level with Alexis Sánchez and Theo Walcott), while he is the fifth Arsenal player to both score and assist a goal as a substitute in a Champions League match.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Arsenal vs Lille stats from their Champions League meeting at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday 13 October.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Arsenal vs Lille: Post-Match Opta Facts
Arsenal have won their last 14 Champions League group stage/league phase games, keeping nine clean sheets in this run.
Bukayo Saka has scored 19 goals in major European competition for Arsenal, the outright second most of any player for the club after Thierry Henry (42).
Lille’s Olivier Giroud (40y 13d) became the first French player aged 40+ to play in the Champions League.
Lille failed to have a shot on target for just the second time on record (since 2003-04) in a Champions League match, after October 2012 against Bayern Munich.
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UEFA Champions League Opta Stats
UEFA Champions League Opta Stats