Arsenal celebrate
Arsenal celebrate
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Arsenal beat Lille 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. The win followed last month’s victory over Napoli and made it two wins from two in the Champions League league phase.
Lille held firm for an hour. The first half finished goalless. Mikel Arteta made five changes from the 2-1 win over Leeds, and his side struggled to create clear chances.
The match turned in seven minutes. Arsenal scored all three goals between the 64th and 71st minutes, and the substitutions Arteta made played a major part.
Jurrien Timber broke the deadlock in the 64th minute with a finish lifted over the goalkeeper, and Eberechi Eze made it 2-0 in the 67th. Timber and Eze both scored their first goals of the season. Bukayo Saka then added the third in the 71st minute, six minutes after coming off the bench.
The result came on a sombre day for the club. Arsenal wore black armbands after announcing the death of life president Ken Friar at the age of 92. Further tributes will take place at the next home game, against Everton on October 24.
Arsenal won the Premier League last season and lost the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.
Here is our player rating against Lille:
David Raya – 6
He kept a clean sheet without having to make a save. Lille had no shots on target. He nearly caused trouble in the first half when he dropped the ball straight to a Lille player, but Declan Rice recovered the situation.
Jurrien Timber – 9
He opened the scoring with a dinked finish after Noni Madueke’s pass. He had threatened in behind the Lille defence all night and created big chances for Bruno Guimaraes and Mikel Merino. He also won five of his six duels.
Ezri Konsa – 7 He continues to look at home. He pressed Hakon Haraldsson all the way up the pitch and had the pace to cover the ground. He completed 75 of his 78 passes.
Gabriel – 7 He had to stay alert early, when Lille carried a threat, and made a block just inside the area. He was too aggressive at times but marshalled the defence well.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7 He left space for Lille to counter into early on. He grew into the game and made an impact in the final third, including a good chance he created for Eze.
Declan Rice – 8 He passed with purpose and added class to a flat first half. He won all four of his duels and completed 27 passes in the final third, more than any other player.
Bruno Guimaraes – 7 He was one of the few to play with intensity and kept trying to lift the crowd. His incisive passing opened up Lille. He had five shots, two on target, but he missed from seven yards when unmarked and could have been more decisive around the box.
Mikel Merino – 5 He lacked zip on the ball. He was booked in the first half for a lunging slide after losing possession. He won none of his five duels and was wasteful in front of goal. He looked uncomfortable throughout.
Noni Madueke – 6 He kept getting chances to run at Romain Perraud, but his final ball was poor for most of the night. He then picked out Timber for the opener. He still needs to be more consistent in those positions. That assist lifts him a point from the 5 he first looked set for.
Eberechi Eze – 7 He was slack in possession and missed a first-half chance. Even so, he led Arsenal with five shots, three on target, and completed four dribbles. He scored the second goal and looked much better alongside Havertz and Saka.
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Viktor Gyokeres – 3 He had seven touches in the first half and did not have a single shot. Defenders shrugged him off the ball too easily. Arteta replaced him in the 65th minute after another anonymous display.
Substitutes
Kai Havertz (for Gyokeres, 65′) – 7 He lifted Arsenal’s quality and provided the cut-back for Saka’s goal. He looked much improved on his showing against Leeds.
Bukayo Saka (for Madueke, 65′) – 9 He set up Eze for the second goal, with a slight deflection on his pass, and then finished Havertz’s cut-back. It was his fourth goal for Arsenal this season. He rises a point from the 8 first planned for creating one goal and scoring another within six minutes of coming on.
Martin Odegaard (for Merino, 65′) – 6 He added the guile that had been missing in midfield. He dictated play as Arsenal took control.
Ben White (for Timber, 78′) – 6 He had a comfortable final 15 minutes with no defensive scares. He offered bursts of energy on the overlap.
Max Dowman (for Eze, 85′) – N/A He came on too late to be rated.