Arsenalscored three goals in seven second-half minutes to beatLille3-0 and extend their perfect start to theChampions League. Jurrien Timber's deft finish opened the floodgates just after the hour mark at the Emirates Stadium before Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka rounded off the scoring. Victory takes Arsenal into a share of the lead at the top of theChampions Leaguetable alongsideBarcelonaand Sporting Lisbon.
Mikel Arteta was able to use the wealth of resources at his disposal as he made five changes to the side that beat Leeds 2-1 on Saturday. But it wasLilleboss Davide Ancelotti,son of Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti,who was the happier after a goalless first half. The visitors even had the ball in the net but Ayase Ueda was flagged offside.
Bruno Guimaraes came closest to breaking the deadlock for Arsenal before the break when he fired wide from close range and then saw a powerful shot from range parried by Berke Ozer. The Gunners quickly went through the gears in the second period once Timber dinked the ball over Ozer from Noni Madueke's pass. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.
One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: Lille's French striker #09 Olivier Giroud and Lille's Algerian midfielder #06 Nabil Bentaleb (R) attend a team training session at the Emirates stadium in London, on October 12, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League football match against Arsenal. © Adrian Dennis, Arteta had left arguably his three most potent attacking weapons on the bench and the introduction of Saka,Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard made an immediate impact.
Saka's low cross picked out Eze,whose deflected shot flew into the top corner to end any doubt over the destiny of the three points. The England winger then finished off an exquisite team move from Havertz's cut-back for Arsenal's third. There were further cheers from the home fans when Olivier Giroud came on as a late substitute for Lille on his return to the club where he scored 105 goals in a six-year spell.
But Giroud could not conjure up another Emirates goal as Lille remain without a Champions League point after defeat to Real Betis on matchday one. Meanwhile,Atletico Madrideased to a 2-0 win overManchester Unitedto pile pressure on Red Devils coach Michael Carrick. Pablo Barrios pounced inside the first minute for Diego Simeone's side and,after Leny Yoro's 74th-minute red card set United back further,Ademola Lookman added another for the hosts in Madrid.
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