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Bukayo Saka Comes Off Bench After Illness To Help Arsenal Beat Lille 3-0
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Saka came off the bench despite illness to influence Arsenal's 3-0 win. He assisted Ebere Eze for the second and scored the third.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Saka sparks 3-0
Arsenal beat Lille 3-0 in the Champions League league phase at the Emirates Stadium, with Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka scoring in seven second-half minutes. Mikel Arteta had challenged Saka to start scoring "two or three" goals per game, and Saka responded by coming off the bench after illness to assist Eze and score the third.
Sky Sports said Saka scored six minutes after coming off the bench Tuesday 13 October 2026 23:50, and it described the Gunners as scoring three quick-fire goals to beat Lille 3-0. Arteta said Saka was not feeling "that good today and yesterday" because he had a bit of an illness, but he was "really keen to contribute" and "came on and made a huge impact."
Tribute and Lille reaction
Arteta dedicated Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Lille to the club’s "extraordinary" life president Ken Friar after Friar died at the age of 92. Arteta told reporters, "I want his relatives and family to know that the way we feel about him can be anything other than extraordinary," and he said the victory was for Friar.
Davide Ancelotti said Lille had "no regrets" about what his players gave, but he said Arsenal substitutions "made the difference" after Lille conceded three goals in just over five minutes. Ancelotti added that "After their first goal, we lost confidence and our shape, and then it all moved very quickly" as the match swung decisively at the Emirates.
Objectives and fitness
Arteta said he had spoken to Saka after telling the media about his desire for the player to have a greater impact, and he recalled saying, "Bukayo, I just killed you in the press conference, good luck tomorrow". Arteta said Saka was laughing and that Saka "takes it because he wants to be the best version of himself," while Arteta linked that to putting "big objectives and challenges" and being consistent.
Hayters TV described Arteta’s injury update as "Zubi is much, much better, Piero is improving but as I said, it looks more significant," and it said Arteta added, "I think it will be a matter of weeks, we don’t know exactly how many." Sky Sports said Arsenal extended their winning run in the league phase to 14 games and kept nine clean sheets in the process, as the Gunners continued their winning start in the Champions League.