Arteta's 'finishers' tactic keeps delivering as subs fire Arsenal to wins

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Mikel Arteta's substitutes are making a habit of winning matches. For the third successive game, and the fourth time in six fixtures across all competitions this season, a player introduced from the bench has scored to send Arsenal to victory.

Noni Madueke was the latest to deliver, firing the only goal as Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground on Sunday. The former Chelsea winger's strike continued a pattern that has become increasingly central to how Arteta sets his side up in matches that need deciding late on.

Earlier in the run, Bukayo Saka scored off the bench against Lille in the Champions League, while Bruno Guimaraes did the same in Premier League wins over Leeds United and Sunderland. Each came at a moment when the starting XI had failed to find a breakthrough, with fresh legs and a change in approach proving decisive.

Where the idea came from

Arteta first used the term 'finishers' to describe his substitutes back in September 2025, after Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard combined to beat Athletic Bilbao at the San Mamés in Arsenal's opening Champions League group game of that campaign. Both had come on for Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze as Arsenal struggled to break down a stubborn Basque side.

Speaking to the BBC after that match, Arteta explained he had borrowed the concept from rugby union. “They are at least equally important, or more important,” he said of his bench options. “We have discussed that. The finishers are going to be more important this season, sometimes, than the starters. We can change the game there, especially with the intensity that we play, and teams start to drop off. I'm very pleased to see that.”

He reinforced the point in his press conference that evening, saying Martinelli and Trossard “were outstanding” and that being able to win games through such moments was “exactly what we need because the threat can come from different ways and different players.”

Still paying off a year on

More than a year later, with Arsenal now the reigning Premier League champions, the approach remains firmly in place. After the win over Forest, Arteta again pointed to the impact of his bench. “We knew it would be the case and last time we didn't manage to win the game, but we did today,” he said. “We had to earn it until the last second. They are a well coached team and hard to break down. We had to take risks. They are a dangerous team. We had to manage the emotional part really well. We stayed focused, and the finishers made a huge impact.”

With Arsenal aiming to defend their title and compete on multiple fronts this season, the depth and sharpness of Arteta's bench options look set to remain just as important as his starting line up.