Bukayo Saka came off the bench to set up Eberechi Eze and score Arsenal’s third goal as they beat Lille 3-0 in the Champions League, responding to Mikel Arteta’s demand for greater attacking output.
Saka had been unwell and was not fit to start, but came on after Arsenal had taken the lead through Jurrien Timber. He assisted Eze’s first goal of the season before producing a composed one-touch finish of his own.
The 25-year-old has now scored four goals in nine games this season. Arteta has adjusted his position to bring him closer to goal after telling him he should be targeting “two or three” goals per match.
“That is where we need to get him,” Arteta said before the game. “And if he misses the chance, so be it. At the end, the more volume we generate, the bigger the probability of him scoring more goals.”
Saka’s goal came after he had missed a late one-on-one chance in Saturday’s Premier League win over Leeds.
“He has been getting in great positions, getting shots, getting one-touch finishes and tap-ins,” Arteta added. “That is the kind of unpredictability we have with that player.”
The Arsenal manager said Saka could already have scored another four or five goals this season and urged him to think about his target on a game-by-game basis.
Saka has scored 20 goals in a season only once, in the 2023-24 campaign, when 16 of those came in the Premier League. He has also scored five times in his last four matches for England, including twice in the 7-0 Nations League win over Croatia.
His goal against Lille took him to 19 in major European competition for Arsenal, behind only Thierry Henry’s 42. His nine Champions League assists place him behind Henry on 16 and Cesc Fabregas on 14.
Arteta said Saka had wanted to contribute despite feeling ill.
“He wasn’t feeling that good yesterday and today, as he had some sort of illness,” he said. “He wasn’t ready to start, but he really wanted to contribute to the team if it was needed, and he came on and made a huge impact and delivered with real quality.”
Arteta also joked that he had warned Saka after speaking publicly about him.
“Bukayo, I just killed you in the press conference; good luck tomorrow,” he told him. Saka laughed, with Arteta adding that the winger accepts such challenges because he wants to become “the best version of himself”.
Gyokeres has quiet night
Arteta made five changes from the side that beat Leeds, with Arsenal managing six matches in all competitions this month. Noni Madueke switched to the right, while Mikel Merino, Eze and Viktor Gyokeres started.
Eze, who had started only two games before this match, showed flashes of quality and will gain confidence from his goal. Madueke supplied the assist for Timber but again raised questions about his end product.
Gyokeres, however, struggled. The Swedish striker, who scored 21 goals last season as Arsenal won the title for the first time in 22 years, had only 12 touches before being substituted.
Kai Havertz looked more natural after replacing him and also teed up Saka’s goal. Martin Odegaard, Havertz and Saka were introduced after Arsenal went 1-0 up, underlining their importance to Arteta’s plans.
