UCL: Arsenal strike three times in seven minutes to defeat Lille

Arsenal produced a devastating second-half performance to beat Lille 3-0 at Emirates Stadium, maintaining their perfect start to the Champions League league phase.

Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka scored within seven minutes to secure the victory for Mikel Arteta’s side, who had struggled to find their rhythm during a largely uneventful first half.

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The result followed Arsenal’s victory over Napoli and strengthened their position in the competition as they seek to go one step further than last season, when they lost the final to Paris Saint-Germain.

Arteta made five changes to the team that defeated Leeds United 2-1 in the Premier League at the weekend, with Eze, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres leading the attack.

However, Arsenal lacked their usual attacking sharpness before the break, allowing Lille to remain in contention as the hosts struggled to create clear-cut opportunities.

Arteta resisted making wholesale changes at half-time, and his patience paid off in the 64th minute when Timber opened the scoring.

The Dutch defender collected a pass from Madueke before lifting a clever finish over Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer to give Arsenal the breakthrough they had been seeking.

The goal shifted the game in the hosts’ favour, and they quickly capitalised on their advantage to put the contest beyond Lille.

Arsenal doubled their lead just three minutes later when Eze finished first time from Saka’s cross.

Saka had come off the bench alongside Kai Havertz and captain Martin Odegaard, with the substitutions providing fresh impetus to the Gunners’ attack.

The England international then got on the scoresheet himself in the 71st minute, rolling the ball past Ozer to complete a remarkable seven-minute spell in which Arsenal scored three times.