Arsenal Score Three in Seven Minutes to Beat Lille 3-0 in the Champions League
Arsenal scored three goals in seven second-half minutes to beat Lille 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, October 13, in matchday 2 of the Champions League. Jurriën Timber, Eberechi Eze and substitute Bukayo Saka scored the goals, and Arsenal now have six points from two games.
The first half was goalless, and Arsenal were short of urgency. Mikel Merino had a header saved, and Myles Lewis-Skelly and Eze both tested Lille goalkeeper Berke Özer. Bruno Guimarães went closest when Özer parried his shot and then reacted quickly to claw away the rebound from Viktor Gyökeres. Mikel Arteta had made five changes from the side that beat Leeds on Saturday.
Timber broke the deadlock in the 64th minute as Arteta prepared a triple substitution. Noni Madueke played him in, and he took a sharp first touch and dinked the ball over Özer from a tight angle. Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz then came on, and Arsenal doubled their lead within 90 seconds. In the 67th minute, Saka crossed low from the right-hand channel and Eze finished, with the ball deflecting into the top corner. Four minutes later, in the 71st minute, Saka scored himself with a close-range finish after a pass from Havertz. Only seven minutes and 18 seconds separated Timber's goal from Saka's.
Timber and Eze both scored their first goals of the season. Arsenal had 53% of the possession and 16 shots, eight of them on target, while Lille had four shots and none on target. Olivier Giroud came on as a late substitute for Lille on his return to the Emirates.
Arteta said the players who finish matches are extraordinary, raising the intensity and the quality. He dedicated the win to Ken Friar. It was Arsenal's 14th win in a row in the Champions League group and league phase, and their ninth win in 10 matches in all competitions this season. It was also the third time under Arteta that Arsenal have won a Champions League match by three or more goals after a goalless first half, following the 3-0 over Real Madrid in 2024-25 and the 4-0 over Atlético Madrid last season.
The result puts Arsenal level at the top of the table with Barcelona and Sporting. Lille, coached by Davide Ancelotti, have no points from two games. They have lost their last three Champions League games, and each of their last eight against English clubs.