Arsenal made it two wins in the Champions League by scoring three second-half goals to defeat Lille at the Emirates Stadium.
Right-back Jurrien Timber opened the scoring with a lovely finish before extra goals from Eberechi Eze and second-minute substitute Bukayo Saka, who came off the bench, sealed a brilliant home win for Mikel Arteta’s Premier League champions.
Arsenal are one of three teams with a 100 per cent record after two games and travel to Bayern Munich next week looking to bounce back from a 3-3 draw with the Vikings.
Olivier Giroud also came off the bench for the visitors to mark his return to North London – which is how the Gunners’ players rated it after a successful night’s work.
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David Raya
He was almost caught after throwing the ball out in the first half. Thankfully, Arsenal cleared the danger. Ayase couldn’t do much about Ueda’s disallowed goal. 6
Jurrien Timber
Big signs of him getting back to his old self. In the first half, he bombed down the right flank and made several dangerous passes. His fitness, in terms of getting those darts onto the pitch, is a credit to Arsenal and Holland’s medical teams, who worked closely together to protect the defender during the international break. It also has a purpose. Excellent. 9
Ezri Konsa
At the heart of Arsenal’s defence, Gabriel looks home with Magalhaes. Matty Cash said earlier today that Konsa was playing at the level he always did at Aston Villa, but now he is finally getting credit for doing so for a Big Six club. People slept on it. 7
Gabriel Magalhaes
He didn’t have much to do. The former Tottenham midfielder blocked Nabil Bentaleb’s long-range effort, resulting in Lille having a goal ruled out for offside. 7
Myles Lewis-Skelly
He was excellent as a left back. Not his preferred position but a great option for Mikel Arteta as he is confident in possession. Overlap and threat of delivery also caused problems. His passing weight was exceptional all night. 8
Bruno Guimaraes
Challenged with an early shot in the 10th minute that whipped the crowd, then fired wide to miss a great opportunity. He seems to be hitting his stride now after a tough afternoon in Brighton before the international break. He just missed the final touch by getting into several dangerous positions. 7
Declan Rice
Captain for the night and sampled. The variety and quality of his passage was something to admire. Most of it was a touch. Such a brilliant technician and it looks better and better. 8
You Maduek
Started brightly, left-back Romain Perrault faked. His chemistry with Jurrien Timber looked truly natural as the pair tore apart Arsenal’s right flank in the first half. 7
Mikel Merinos
Missed an early header and booked for a needless first-half strike. He struggled in the attacking midfield role. 4
May God protect you
He is aiming for a night that will make his confidence a world of goodness. It was quiet in the first half, but Bukayo applied a brutal finish to turn Saka’s cut. On a personal level, he sent a positive message to Mikel Arteta after a difficult start to the season. 7
Victor Gokeres
Really poor. The theme up front for Leeds was that Kai Havertz deserves an opportunity if he’s still missing, but Havertz is back and now Gyökeres looks a little short of confidence again after scoring in all four Swedish Nations League matches. He couldn’t stick the ball and was clumsy. 4
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Bukayo Saka
Perfect way to respond to last weekend’s criticism. His quickfire arm and passing off the bench capped off an explosive cameo and reiterated why he’s so important. 9
Martin Odegaard
It made a real difference right after entering the fray. Showed real class on the ball, pressed high and breathed new life into Arsenal’s attack. 8
Kai Havertz
After replacing the Swede, Victor looked more effective than Gokeres. Bukayo intercepted Saka for Arsenal’s third goal. He was booked for fouling the goalkeeper in stoppage time. 7
Ben White
It was always going to be tough to shine behind Jurrien Timber’s efforts, but it was solid. 6
Max Dowman
Dangerous and threatening as a latecomer. He can’t help but feel that he will score with more minutes. 7
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