Arsenal produced an explosive burst of three goals in seven minutes early in the second half to defeat Lille 3-0 on Tuesday, continuing their perfect start in the Champions League. The win lifted Arsenal level on points at the top of the group with Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon.
Jurrien Timber broke the deadlock with a deft finish just after the 60th minute at the Emirates, before Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka completed the victory.
Manager Mikel Arteta rotated his squad with five changes from Saturday's 2-1 win over Leeds, drawing on his team's depth. However, after a goalless first half, Lille boss Davide Ancelotti — son of Brazil national team coach Carlo Ancelotti — had reason to be the happier of the two. The visitors even had the ball in the net, but Ayase Ueda was flagged offside.
Before the break, Bruno Guimaraes came closest to an opener for Arsenal when he shot wide from close range, then forced goalkeeper Berke Ozer into a save with a powerful long-range effort.
After the interval, Arsenal quickly stepped up the pace. Timber lifted the ball over Ozer with a delicate finish from a Noni Madueke pass. Arteta had left his three strongest attacking weapons on the bench, and the introduction of Saka, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard had an immediate impact. Saka cut the ball back low for Eze, whose shot took a deflection into the top corner, removing any doubt about the three points.
Saka himself completed a slick team move from Havertz's cutback to seal the 3-0 scoreline. Home fans were further excited when Olivier Giroud came on as a late substitute for Lille, returning to the Emirates where he scored 105 goals over six seasons. However, Giroud could not add another goal, and Lille remain without a point in the Champions League after their opening defeat to Real Betis.
