Timber and supersub Saka extend Arsenal's remarkable Emirates run
Credit: Getty Images
Twelve wins in a row and counting. Arsenal continued their extraordinary Champions League record at the Emirates Stadium with a 3-0 victory over Lille, a result that stretched the north London side's unbeaten run in the competition's league phase to 14 successive victories, just three short of Bayern Munich's all time record.
The breakthrough did not come easily. Mikel Arteta made five changes from the side that beat Leeds at the weekend, with both Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi unavailable after picking up injuries during the warm down following that match. Arsenal's second string attack, with Viktor Gyokeres leading the line, struggled to make a telling impact for long periods against a deep lying Lille defence.
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
Noni Madueke, restored to his favoured right flank after impressing on the left against Leeds, was Arsenal's most dangerous outlet in a first half light on clear cut chances. Bruno Guimaraes and Mikel Merino both spurned decent openings, while Lille had the ball in the net through Ayase Ueda, though a VAR check confirmed he was marginally offside after Nabil Bentaleb's deflected effort.
Timber's moment of class
With the game goalless and Arteta preparing to introduce Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz from the bench, it was Jurrien Timber who broke the deadlock in the 64th minute. Madueke picked him out and Timber applied a deft right footed finish after a brilliant first touch to put Arsenal ahead.
The goal appeared to unlock the game. Saka, introduced soon after, made an almost immediate impact by setting up Eberechi Eze to dispatch a second, possibly with the help of a deflection, less than three minutes later. Saka then completed the scoring himself after combining with Havertz and Odegaard, rounding off a three goal burst inside seven minutes that put the result beyond doubt.
Saka's goal was the 36th Arsenal have scored at the Emirates in the league or group stage of the Champions League since returning to the competition under Arteta three years ago. In that span, across 12 home wins, Arsenal have conceded just three times.
A night of tribute
The match was also a night of remembrance for Arsenal. The club paid tribute to Ken Friar, its life president who died at the age of 92 and who was instrumental in the move from Highbury to the Emirates in 2006. Players wore black armbands in his memory.
βI'm sure he is very happy to see how the boys played. But not only that, because I know how proud he felt about what we built,β said Arteta. βIt's a really sad day for everyone who loves football. The legacy that Ken is going to leave for this club is going to be for ever.β
Olivier Giroud, Lille's 40 year old forward who did not start against his former club, received a standing ovation on his return to north London, while a late cameo from Max Dowman rounded off the evening for the home supporters. Arsenal's remarkable European record at the Emirates shows no sign of slowing down under Arteta.
Source: The Guardian
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games. Free, in your inbox every Friday.
