Saka answers Arteta’s challenge with goal and assist in Arsenal’s Lille win

Saka turns Arteta’s challenge into decisive impact

Bukayo Saka responded to Mikel Arteta’s call for him to take on more of Arsenal’s scoring burden, coming off the bench to provide an assist and a goal in a 3-0 Champions League victory over Lille.

Saka had been unwell and was not fit to start, but entered after Arsenal had taken the lead. He set up Eberechi Eze to make it 2-0, then finished confidently for the third. Arteta said the forward “came on and made a huge impact and delivered with real quality.”

Before the match, Arteta had said he wanted Saka positioned closer to goal and challenged him to think in terms of scoring “two or three” times per game. The Arsenal manager said the aim was to increase the volume of chances Saka gets, adding: “The more volume we generate, the bigger the probability of him scoring more goals.”

The goal came after Saka missed a late one-on-one chance in Arsenal’s Premier League win over Leeds. Arteta said the winger had been getting into good positions and believed he could have scored several more already. Saka has scored 20 goals in a season once, in 2023-24, including 16 in the Premier League that campaign. He also has 19 goals in major European competition for Arsenal, according to the report, behind only Thierry Henry’s 42.

Rotated Arsenal side delivers mixed performances

Arteta made five changes from the team that beat Leeds, with Eze, Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyökeres among those brought into the starting line-up. Eze, who had started only twice in all competitions before the Lille match, scored his first goal of the season. Noni Madueke assisted Jurrien Timber’s opening goal but had an uneven evening overall, showing his ability to beat defenders while leaving questions about his end product.

Gyökeres had a quieter night, recording 12 touches before being substituted. Kai Havertz looked more comfortable in the central role after coming on and helped set up Saka’s goal. Saka, Havertz and Martin Odegaard all entered after Timber’s opener, and each played a part in turning the contest into a convincing Arsenal win.

Arteta said he had joked with Saka after publicly challenging him, telling the forward: “I just killed you in the press conference, good luck tomorrow.” The manager said Saka had taken the comments in good spirits and was willing to embrace the challenge as he works to become “the best version of himself.”