Arsenal crush Lille with 3-goal second-half blitz

By Tosin Omojola

Arsenal scored three goals in seven second-half minutes to maintain their perfect start to the Champions League league phase with a convincing victory over Lille at the Emirates Stadium.

Defender Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 64th minute, collecting a pass from Noni Madueke before lifting a clever finish over Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer.

England forward Eberechi Eze doubled Arsenal’s lead three minutes later, finishing first time from substitute Bukayo Saka’s cross.

Saka then got on the scoresheet himself in the 71st minute, calmly rolling the ball home to seal Arsenal’s second victory in the competition following their win over Napoli.

Manager Mikel Arteta made five changes to the side that defeated Leeds United 2-1 in the Premier League at the weekend. However, the attacking trio of Eze, Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres struggled to find their rhythm in a laboured first half.

Arteta resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes at the break, and his patience paid off when Timber broke the deadlock with a composed finish.

Saka, Kai Havertz and captain Martin Odegaard were subsequently introduced, with all three substitutes playing key roles in the next two goals as last season’s runners-up secured a comfortable victory.

Arsenal won all eight of their league-phase matches in the previous campaign before losing the final to Paris Saint-Germain. Their latest performance suggests they could once again be a formidable force at this stage of the competition.