Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
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Arsenal beat Lille 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. The win gives them six points from two Champions League league-phase games.
Lille held out for an hour. Jurrien Timber broke the deadlock in the 64th minute, lifting his finish over goalkeeper Berke Ozer after a pass from Noni Madueke.
Eberechi Eze made it 2-0 three minutes later, set up by Bukayo Saka. Saka scored the third in the 71st minute, six minutes after coming off the bench.
Mikel Arteta had started Saka on the bench after Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League win over Leeds United. He introduced Saka, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard in the 65th minute, and Havertz and Odegaard combined in the build-up to Saka’s goal.
READ MORE: PLAYER RATINGS: Arsenal 3-0 Lille
Lille did not register a shot on target, and David Raya kept a clean sheet. Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, 40, came on for Lille in the 78th minute.
After the match, Arteta was asked about his injured players. Midfielder Martin Zubimendi missed the Lille game with an ankle injury.
Zubimendi hurt the ankle in a post-match training session held at the Emirates after the Leeds win. The session was for players who had not played enough minutes, and Zubimendi was an unused substitute against Leeds.
Defender Piero Hincapie also injured an ankle in the same session, in a separate incident. Arteta confirmed on Monday that both would miss the Lille game and have scans, and said Hincapie’s injury looked a little more serious.
Arteta has now updated the situation on Zubimendi. Asked whether he expects the midfielder back within days, he replied: “Zubi is much, much better, yeah.”
The result extended Arsenal’s winning run in the Champions League league phase to 14 matches. It was also their ninth win in 10 games in all competitions this season.
Arsenal opened this season’s campaign with a 1-0 win at Napoli on September 9, when Odegaard scored in the 75th minute. Lille arrived at the Emirates without a point after losing 3-2 at home to Real Betis on matchday one.
The Premier League champions next play at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.