Second-half goals from Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and substitute Bukayo Saka saw Arsenal overwhelm Lille 3-0 at the Emirates to make it two wins from two in the Champions League.
The French side were organised and disciplined as the Gunners probed before the break, but their energy only lasted before a three-goal blitz settled matters.
Here’s what the managers, players, pundits and stattos made of the action…
Mikel Arteta on his side’s dominant performance…
It was a joy to watch. The three goals were unbelievable: the connections, the timing, the quality they delivered to score. Three different players and other players participated in the goals, so overall I’m very, very happy. We had moments – in the first half, especially – when we got into very dangerous positions but our technical quality wasn’t good enough to deliver moments of real threat and to sustain the attacks, so we allowed certain transitions. We made a change at half-time in terms of certain positions and the technical level increased. We attacked the spaces.
Source: UEFA.com
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Davide Ancelotti on a tough evening for Lille…
In terms of what my players gave, I have no regrets. We need to analyse the fact we conceded three goals in five minutes but, in terms of the game plan, we wanted to stay in the match for as long as possible. The result is harsh on us; we battled hard. I don’t think the players deserve this scoreline. With the players they have on the bench, they can change the rhythm of the game. That’s what they did tonight. We have to keep the good things we did for 60 minutes.
Source: UEFA.com
Eberechi Eze on Arsenal biding their time…
A lot of teams come with energy, so first halves can be difficult, but we know that we have to grind teams down eventually. It was a good day. It’s good fun. The type of players we’re playing with, you’re always linking and finding space. It’s enjoyable, and as long as I’m doing that, then I’m happy. We knew what we were doing; there were slight details to give us more chances and have more balls inside their box. We trust and back ourselves; we know our quality. We play games to win and believe we can and should. It’s about the work we’ve done on the pitch.
Source: TNT Sports
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Lille captain Benjamin Andre’s assessment…
When you concede first, everything becomes a bit complicated. We hadn’t defended too badly but we didn’t pose enough problems. There was room to play and we made a few good [passages] but it wasn’t enough. We needed to have a bit more courage in our game.
Source: UEFA.com
The UEFA Technical Observer Group on their decision to name Jurrien Timber as player of the match…
He scored the first goal, was involved in the second and was very active down his flank. His opener was crucial because Arsenal then found it much easier to make adjustments to win.
Source: UEFA.com
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Jurrien Timber on his deadlock-breaking goal…
I had some moments already in the first half, but second half I was free a lot in between. Noni saw me, and my first touch was good, which was half of the job, I think. And then Noni was screaming, ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot.’ So I was like, okay, I have to shoot. And tried to chip it a bit and it went in nice.
Source: TNT Sports
Jurriën Timber, game by game over 1 match. Touches: LOSC (H) 66. Final-third passes: LOSC (H) 10. Chances created: LOSC (H) 2. Pass accuracy: LOSC (H) 90. Shots: LOSC (H) 1. Tackles: LOSC (H) 2.
Jurriën Timber, game by game over 1 match. Touches: LOSC (H) 66. Final-third passes: LOSC (H) 10. Chances created: LOSC (H) 2. Pass accuracy: LOSC (H) 90. Shots: LOSC (H) 1. Tackles: LOSC (H) 2.
Mikel Arteta on his substitutions…
I felt it. I felt that it was the right moment to do it. The way the game was panning out, the way the opponent was behaving as well, that we needed in those moments, those spaces, different kinds of players. And that’s it. But that’s credit to the starters and as well, obviously, the ones that came in to create those moments.
Source: Post-game press conference
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Eze on the message at half time…
There were slight details that we obviously tweaked and changed to give us a bit more dominance, but it was more of the same. We were doing a lot in the first half as well, and I think the players that came on as well really helped us to push on. That was an important impact.
Source: Arsenal.com
Timber on the high standards at Arsenal…
We have confidence in ourselves, we know how good we are. First half we had some moments where we were sloppy. But we were always in control and we needed that first goal but the way we came out the second half showed character and the guys that came in did an amazing job. We need to keep going. These are the demands. We played three days ago, today again. We need everyone, all the players. Injuries are part of the season so we need other players to step up. We need to keep going, keep improving and another tough match on Sunday.
Source: TNT Sports
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Steven Gerrard on Arsenal’s win…
I said before the game, if Arsenal flex their muscles, it should be a comfortable win. It took until the second half. Once they got the breakthrough with that quality with Timber, they really showed their level.
Source: TNT Sports
Arteta with an update on injured duo Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi…
Martin Zubimendi is much better, Piero [Hincapie] is improving but his injury looks more significant. It will be a matter of weeks for him, we don’t know exactly how many. We have to see on Zubi how he deals with the pain. He still has some small feelings.
Source: Post-game press conference
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Arteta on Arsenal’s 14-game Champions League group phase winning streak…
It shows the level of consistency we have. We carry on playing the way we do and performing at that level in the competition. I’m sure we can do that more, but you have to earn it because the level is big.