Arsenal beat Lille 3-0 to keep Champions League start perfect
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Arsenal scored three goals in seven second-half minutes to beat Lille 3-0 at home.
- Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka scored. Saka also set up the second goal.
- The win gives Arsenal six points from two Champions League games this season.
Arsenal beat Lille 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The game took place at the Emirates Stadium in London. Three goals in seven second-half minutes sealed the win.
What happened
A slow first half
Arsenal started slowly in the first half. Lille stayed compact and gave Arsenal little space. The score stayed 0-0 at half-time.
Lille even put the ball in the net, but the goal did not count. Ayase Ueda stood offside, so the officials ruled it out.
Arsenal had the best early chances, according to Sky Sports. Bruno Guimaraes fired a good chance wide from close range. Mikel Merino headed straight at Ozer from a Timber cross.
Eze missed a good chance after a cut-back from Myles Lewis-Skelly. Guimaraes also missed a simple chance from a Timber cut-back.
Three goals in seven minutes
The game changed in the 64th minute. Noni Madueke passed low across goal, and Timber lifted the ball over Ozer. That goal opened the floodgates for Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka came off the bench just after the first goal. With his first touch, he set up Eberechi Eze for the second goal. Eze finished with his left foot in the 67th minute.
A slight deflection helped the shot past Ozer, Sky Sports reported. Saka scored the third goal himself in the 71st minute.
Kai Havertz cut the ball back from the right side. Saka finished from close range to make it 3-0.
The bench changes the game
Arteta sent on three fresh players after the first goal. Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz joined Saka from the bench. The fresh legs raised the tempo at once.
Arteta said the team raised its technical level after half-time. Ancelotti said Lille could not match Arsenal's rhythm after 60 minutes. He said the 3-0 score was too harsh on his players.
Arsenal made five changes from the side that beat Leeds 2-1. Our team news covered those changes before kick-off.
Lille did not record a shot on target in the game. David Raya kept a clean sheet in the Arsenal goal. A clean sheet means the other team did not score.
Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud came on late for Lille. The home fans gave him a warm welcome back to the Emirates. Giroud scored 105 goals in a six-year spell at Arsenal, the Straits Times reported.
Why it matters
The win gives Arsenal six points from two games. They share the lead at the top of the Champions League table. The Straits Times reported that Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon sit level with them.
Barcelona also won on the night. Our report on Barcelona against Galatasaray has the full story.
Atletico Madrid also won on the night. They beat Manchester United 2-0 in Madrid. Our report on Atletico against Man United has the full story.
Sabah also won in Europe on the night. Our report on Sabah against Slavia Prague has the full story.
Arsenal have now won 14 straight games in the league phase. They kept nine clean sheets in that run, according to Sky Sports. That record shows how strong the team has become in Europe.
Saka shines through illness
Saka felt ill before the game, Arteta said. He still came on and changed the game. Before the game, Arteta had asked Saka to score more goals.
Saka scored six minutes after he came on, Sky Sports reported. He also set up a goal with his first touch. Manager Mikel Arteta said it was a joy to watch the goals.
Saka now has 19 goals in major European games for Arsenal. Only Thierry Henry has more, with 42 goals for the club. Saka has also set up nine Champions League goals for Arsenal.
A strong base from last season
Arsenal finished as runners-up in the Champions League last year. They want to go one step further this year. They beat Napoli last month in their first game.
This win over Lille keeps that perfect start alive. Depth wins long seasons. Arsenal showed they can win even when stars start on the bench.
That depth will matter in a run of eight games in 25 days. The bench made the difference in this game.
What happens next
Arsenal visit Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday. Then they travel to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on October 21. Read Arsenal reported both dates after the Lille game.
Two wins from two games is the best start a team can make. Arsenal now sit near the top of the table. But the hard games still lie ahead.
Bayern Munich away will test this team. A win there would prove Arsenal can win anywhere.
Lille still have zero points in the Champions League this season. They lost to Real Betis on matchday one, the Straits Times reported. They must bounce back in their next European game.
For now, Arsenal look strong in Europe. Three goals in seven minutes sent a clear message. The next test comes in Munich, and fans will watch with hope.
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