Arsenal scored three goals in seven second-half minutes to beat Lille 3-0 and continue their winning start in the Champions League.

The Gunners were frustrated for an hour at the Emirates Stadium but Jurrien Timber’s superb finish, lifted over the goalkeeper from Noni Madueke’s pass, opened the floodgates.

Eberechi Eze added the second with the help of a slight deflection from substitute Bukayo Saka’s pass, and Saka added the third himself after slick interplay with Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, who were introduced alongside him after the opening goal.

Mikel Arteta used the visit of Lille to rotate his side, making five changes from the 2-1 win over Leeds as Arsenal begin a run of eight games in 25 days, but their substitutes helped to ensure they followed up last month’s win over Napoli with another victory.

The Gunners should have led earlier with Bruno Guimaraes, starting for the first time at the Emirates Stadium as an Arsenal player, and Eze missing their best chances of the first period.

But Lille’s resistance was broken with Timber’s opener and Davide Ancelotti’s side couldn’t contain the Gunners, whose substitutions underlined their strength in depth, with Saka particularly impressive before another eye-catching cameo from Max Dowman.

At the other end, Lille did not register a shot on target, although striker Olivier Giroud received a positive reception on his return to the Emirates Stadium as a substitute.

The victory continues a positive start to Arsenal’s Champions League campaign, and extends their winning run in the league phase to 14 games, as last year’s runners-up aim to go one better.

Analysis: Saka takes up Arteta’s challenge

Arteta challenged Saka to start scoring “two or three goals per game” in his pre-match press conference. He must have been listening. He only needed six minutes to find the net after coming off the bench. And that was after providing an assist with his first touch.

“If that’s the case I’m very happy and welcome it,” Arteta said with a smile when asked if his comments had motivated the 25-year-old. Saka is up to four goals for the season for Arsenal and there were another two on international duty with England.

His display against Lille was all the more impressive given it came after an illness, according to Arteta. “He wasn’t feeling that good today and yesterday. He had a bit of an illness but was really keen to contribute. He came on and made a huge impact.”

His goal, struck from around eight yards out, was one of several from close range this season and provided further evidence of him getting into more dangerous areas. It was fitting that the assist, from the right-hand side, came from Havertz, the striker with whom he has often been seen interchanging positions.

The positional fluidity is helping Saka as he tries to boost his numbers in front of goal. This was another step in the right direction.

Arteta: It was a joy to watch our goals

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta: “We had moments in the first half where we arrived into a very dangerous position with a lot of advantage.

“Our technical quality wasn’t good enough to deliver moments of real threat and sustain real attacks.

“We made a change at half-time and our technical level increased.

“It was a joy to watch the goals that we scored, three different players and a number of different players participating.”

On his triple substitution: “I felt that it was the right moment to do it. With the way the game was panning out, the way the opponent was behaving, we needed different kinds of players.

“But credit to the starters and the ones who came on.”

Saka’s European record

• Saka has scored 19 goals in major European competitions for Arsenal, the outright second most of any player for the club after Thierry Henry (42).
• Saka has provided nine assists in the Champions League for Arsenal, with only Henry (16) and Cesc Fabregas (14) providing more.
• Arsenal have won their last 14 Champions League group stage or league phase games, keeping nine clean sheets in the process.

Ancelotti: We couldn’t match their rhythm

Lille boss Davide Ancelotti:

“It’s really tough. With the players they always have on the bench, they can change the rhythm of the game.

“For us it was difficult to keep up with the rhythm they put after 60 minutes.

“We have to keep the good things we did for 55 or 60 minutes.

“To come here and get a good result, you have to have many things aligned and we didn’t have that.

“It’s too hard on the players, the score. They didn’t deserve this score.”

The key moments at the Emirates

• 20: WASTE! Guimaraes sends a simple chance wide from Timber’s cut-back
• 22: SAVE! Mikel Merino heads straight at Berke Ozer from another Timber cross
• 23: OFFSIDE! Ayase Ueda has the ball in the net for Lille but the goal is ruled out for offside
• 37 CHANCE! Eze sidefoots his finish too close to the goalkeeper following a Myles Lewis-Skelly cut-back
• 64 GOAL! Arsenal make the breakthrough as Timber controls and finishes brilliantly from Madueke’s low cross
• 67: GOAL! Eze doubles Arsenal’s lead from Saka’s pass via a slight deflection
• 71: GOAL! Saka adds a goal to his earlier assist with a close-range finish from Havertz’s cut-back
• 78: CHEERS! Former Arsenal striker Giroud receives a positive reception as he is introduced from the bench for Lille

Arsenal’s next fixtures…

Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez launched an extraordinary attack on the club’s hierarchy after their 2-0 Champions League loss at Atletico Madrid.

In an astonishing post-match interview, the Argentina international criticised the lack of summer investment in the squad.

The defender said he had expected more from “upstairs”, singling out technical director Jason Wilcox, in the most recent transfer window in which they failed to improve their options at left-back and up front.

Man Utd spent £155m on just four major summer signings after a third-place Premier League finish last season, which earned a return to the Champions League for the first time in three years.

“I have to control myself a lot, but sometimes it’s a reflection of how our club is at the moment,” Martinez told Amazon Prime.

“We had a fantastic season last season, and now we expect more from the top, from upstairs, to bring in more players to compete because many teams have brought in many players as well.”

Asked whether he had expected more investment in the squad in summer, Martinez said: “Yes, 100 per cent.

“I expect more from our technical director. I have to be honest. And also, as a player, we have to do more.

“It’s also important to build a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night.”

Tuesday’s loss in Madrid extended Man Utd’s winless run to five games, piling pressure on boss Michael Carrick.

“He does his best,” he said of Carrick. “But every season is different. You can’t stay with what you did last season.

“The teams know how you play, they know every detail. If you don’t change, next season is a big problem.”

Asked about Carrick’s future, Martinez replied: “You start changing, changing, changing managers. But what about [moves his eyes upwards] other areas?”

Martinez looked up and then shrugged, saying, “I can’t say more” before deciding to add a final dig.

“Because also tonight it is easy to say the coach, it is easy to say the players, but also we have to see other areas,” he said, pointing up and nodding.

Carrick and Tielemans asked about Martinez comments

It was a jaw-dropping interview that Youri Tielemans, one of three outfield summer signings, refused to comment on, while Martinez’s outburst dominated the post-match press conference with Carrick.

Asked if he agreed with Martinez’s view, he said: “Well, I haven’t seen the interview. I’ve half heard about it in the other interviews I’ve done.

“I think it’s a little bit on the emotions of the game as well, coming here and being disappointed not to get something from the game.

“Straight after a game for me is not the time to talk about that interview because I haven’t seen it, so I can’t really comment on that.

“But I think it’s important for us to move forward quickly, really. I think there’s a big game on Sunday, and it’s really important that we move forward and we stay focused on that.

“There’s disappointment within the group. I’m bitterly disappointed in certain things, and the boys are as well as a group.”

Rooney heavily criticises Martinez outburst

Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney speaking to Amazon Prime:

“It’s a difficult one because I always used to think I was outspoken as a player and you want to have your opinion.

“I think he has maybe gone a bit too far. That’s for the manager, and that should really stay internal.

“The fans want to hear the players speak; they want to hear the players care, so you can clearly see he cares and he wants the team to invest more money, and more players, and to do that he is probably one of the players who is out the door through his performances. His performances haven’t been good enough.

“But I think in some ways he is right in terms of the club needs to invest more, at the top end of the pitch and in defence as well.

“But it looks like that was a bit of an agenda; he’s wanted to say that, because that doesn’t mirror the performance. I thought the performance was better.

“It’s a bit disrespectful to his team-mates as well. He is disrespecting his team-mates because he’s saying the team isn’t good enough.

“Bruno (Fernandes) is the only one who has any right to come out and say anything like that as captain. And even then it should be behind closed doors if there are issues, which does happen.

“Players have conversations with the manager, the manager has conversations with the board, but that interview is not going to help the situation the club are in at the minute.

“That’s going to bring a greater noise around it; the players are not happy, they’re not settled, they don’t trust in their team-mates. That’s not going to help at all.”

Sunday 18th October 12:30pm


Kick off 2:00pm

Carra: It’s awful from Martinez

Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher speaking to CBS Sports:

“Doesn’t do anybody any good at all, and they will be the story now for the next few days, all about this.

“Now, as supporters, every set of supporters don’t like the suits or the guys upstairs, so United fans will lap this up and think it’s great. I think it’s awful that he’s come out and said that right now. I do.

“And when he’s saying ‘we had a fantastic season last season’, they didn’t. A manager got sacked last season. They finished third because they had no cup games. They weren’t in Europe. They got knocked out of the cup competitions very early.

“The reason they finished third is that Liverpool and Chelsea were that bad as well. Now we’re seeing the real Manchester United this season.”

Analysis: Martinez unlikley to last long at Man Utd

Sky Sports’ Zinny Boswell:

Everyone has heard a Manchester United fan voicing the criticisms made by Lisandro Martinez in Madrid. It is another thing entirely to see a player doing it.

Many of those fans will see Martinez’s comments as a necessary intervention to address an issue which long pre-dates INEOS’ involvement at Old Trafford but has certainly not been helped by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority investment.

Others, like Wayne Rooney, will question the player’s motives. Martinez has entered the final year of his contract and cannot claim to have done enough to have earned another. Perhaps he has been told as much. Players who speak out publicly like this do not tend to last long.

Cristiano Ronaldo called out the Glazers in 2022 in his famous Piers Morgan interview and left United within a week. Martinez’s compatriot Cristian Romero criticised Spurs’ hierarchy in January in an Instagram post and was gone by the summer.

Irrespective of Martinez’s motivation, it is hard to argue with his point. United set Carrick up for a fall by failing to sign a left-back or a striker over the summer. The midfield rebuild that was hyped up for many months before the summer has not lived up to expectation either.

It is hard to understand quite what the plan is at United looking back at the last few years. United have had three managers in that window of time. Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick. All with different approaches that bear little resemblance to the other.

Martinez’s comments will not help Carrick. But given the sense of hopelessness that has engulfed the fanbase, you can understand why some will welcome his comments. Martinez is right in saying United’s issues stretch far beyond the manager.

Your views on Martinez’s interview…

Steve: Martinez is 100 per cent right. The board are an absolute disgrace; the biggest club in the world and yet they persist with the same defenders we’ve had for five years. Teams know our weaknesses; the board have once again let the manager down badly.

Jonesy: I don’t agree with Martinez. They had money, but spent it on players like Andrey Santos who can’t get in the Chelsea team – what makes him good enough for Utd? I saw professional players unable to execute simple passes, and lapses of concentration in defence, again. Not good enough!

Date D: You can change the manager as much as you want, but when the hierarchy stays the same, you get the same results. Well done, Martinez!

Ciara: For once, a Man Utd player coming out to call out hierarchy. What a legend.

Dantoken: I stand with him. Nothing changes until changes are made at the top of the club.

Garbs: Agree with Martinez, squad should be bigger and more quality. The main issues are with those above off the pitch.

Man Utd’s next six fixtures

Leeds (A) – Premier League – Sunday October 18, live on Sky Sports

Como (A) – Champions League – Wednesday October 21

Bournemouth (H) – Premier League – Sunday October 25, live on Sky Sports

Chelsea (A) – Premier League – Saturday October 31

Roma (H) – Champions League – Tuesday November 3

Aston Villa (H) – Premier League – Sunday November 8, live on Sky Sports

Lexi Potter could not have done more to prove she should not only be in England’s World Cup squad next summer, she could also be in the starting XI.

It’s a big shout for a player that’s only just broken into the England team, but her 60-minute debut against Greece couldn’t have gone much better.

“It was really special,” the Chelsea midfielder told ITV Sport after the game. “I am very happy and proud. It was a bit of a rush before the game and I lost my phone! I was a bit nervous but once I got on the pitch, I really enjoyed it.

“It was almost a dream come true. As a young girl, it’s what you dream of, playing for your country. To make my debut and to be able to start as well is very special.”

The 20-year old grew into the game at the King Power Stadium. She broke up attacks, showed her range of passing, allowed Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Lauren James to shine and even had a goal disallowed.

England’s next few games get gradually harder. Ukraine await in the final round of play-offs before a Nations League campaign against three teams in and around the top 20 in the world.

Potter, if trusted, can get a chance to grow into the role as an England starter while also playing in important matches.

Not many players make their debut in their first international camp under Sarina Wiegman. The fact Potter was picked to start a game shows how much she’s impressing already.

“You could see that there were some nerves but that’s completely normal,” Wiegman told ITV Sport of her midfielder after the game in Leicester. “We kept an eye on her already and now she’s a starter for Chelsea, she did really well.

“In our camp, she did really well straight away. Your first start for England, that’s a big moment, but you can tell the position she picks up [that she was ready]. She scored a goal that was unfortunately disallowed, but nice for her.”

Keira Walsh, Potter’s team-mate at Chelsea, has also become her biggest hype artist. She’s been telling anyone that’ll listen about the midfielder’s quality and potential.

Now the Lionesses have seen it first-hand on the training pitch and in a competitive match.

England can take 26 players to the World Cup, a first in the women’s tournament. That means six or seven midfielders will be part of the squad.

With Walsh and Stanway certainties, it’s a battle between Potter, Laura Blinkilde Brown, Erica Meg Parkinson, Ella Toone, Grace Clinton and Lucia Kendall for the other spots.

It’s realistic one or two of them could be left behind. Toone and Clinton were on the outside looking in at the start of the international break before being called up as injury replacements.

All of a sudden England have a load of options in a position they were once struggling for depth.

Potter praise from England team-mates

Georgia Stanway to Sky Sports News: “She’s a really good kid. It’s so good to have her around the group. She’s composed, she’s calm and she appears older than what you think she is. She’s come in and it’s as if she’s been here for a really long time.”

Freya Godfrey – who also made her England debut on Tuesday – to Sky Sports News: “I can’t even explain it. We were in our hotel room earlier and we were going through our camera rolls with Erica [Meg Parkinson] and I came across a picture of me and Lex from 2022 on camp.

“To then have this night with her, I couldn’t be prouder of her and the season she’s had. She more than deserves it. To share it with someone as special as her, I’ve grown up with her in the youth age groups, and talking about it gives me chills.

“Watching her walk out and sing the national anthem, me and Erica felt really emotional and proud of her.”

Jess Carter to Sky Sports News: “She’s great. I remember playing with her when I was at Chelsea. It’s great to see her here and in this camp, she’s been excellent. She’s professional and she definitely does not stand out as if she’s fresh in here so I’m really happy for her.”

Alessia Russo to ITV Sport: “She’s been brilliant in training. You can tell that she’s ready for this level. She is a great kid and wants to learn. She’s got the best in learning off Keira. She looks so confident and composed.”