Arsenal 3-0 Lille: Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka on target as Gunners win in Champions League
Arsenal score three quick-fire goals to beat Lille 3-0 in the league phase of the Champions League; Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze scored their first goals of the season; Bukayo Saka was also on target six minutes after coming off the bench
Tuesday 13 October 2026 22:21, UK
Arsenal scored three goals in seven second-half minutes to beat Lille 3-0 and continue their winning start in the Champions League.
The Gunners were frustrated for an hour at the Emirates Stadium but Jurrien Timber's superb finish, lifted over the goalkeeper from Noni Madueke's pass, opened the floodgates.
Eberechi Eze added the second with the help of a slight deflection from substitute Bukayo Saka's pass, and Saka added the third himself after slick interplay with Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, who were introduced alongside him after the opening goal.
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Mikel Arteta used the visit of Lille to rotate his side, making five changes from the 2-1 win over Leeds as Arsenal begin a run of eight games in 25 days, but their substitutes helped to ensure they followed up last month's win over Napoli with another victory.
The Gunners should have led earlier with Bruno Guimaraes, starting for the first time at the Emirates Stadium as an Arsenal player, and Eze missing their best chances of the first period.
But Lille's resistance broken with Timber's opener and Davide Ancelotti's side couldn't contain the Gunners, whose substitutions underlined their strength in depth, with Saka particularly impressive before another eye-catching cameo from Max Dowman.
At the other end, Lille did not register a shot on target, although striker Olivier Giroud received a positive reception on his return to the Emirates Stadium as a substitute.
The victory continues a positive start to Arsenal's Champions League campaign as last year's runners-up aim to go one better.
Ancelotti: We couldn't match their rhythm
Lille boss Davide Ancelotti:
"It's really tough. With the players they always have on the bench, they can change the rhythm of the game.
"For us it was difficult to keep up with the rhythm they put after 60 minutes.
"We have to keep the good things we did for 55 or 60 minutes.
"To come here and get a good result, you have to have many things aligned and we didn't have that.
"It's too hard on the players, the score. They didn't deserve this score."
The key moments at the Emirates
- 20: WASTE! Guimaraes sends a simple chance wide from Timber's cut-back
- 22: SAVE! Mikel Merino heads straight at Berke Ozer from another Timber cross
- 23: OFFSIDE! Ayase Ueda has the ball in the net for Lille but the goal is ruled out for offside
- 37 CHANCE! Eze sidefoots his finish too close to the goalkeeper following a Myles Lewis-Skelly cut-back
- 64 GOAL! Arsenal make the breakthrough as Timber controls and finishes brilliantly from Madueke's low cross
- 67: GOAL! Eze doubles Arsenal's lead from Saka's pass via a slight deflection
- 71: GOAL! Saka adds a goal to his earlier assist with a close-range finish from Havertz's cut-back
- 78: CHEERS! Former Arsenal striker Giroud receives a positive reception as he is introduced from the bench for Lille
