'More of the same' - Eberechi Eze reveals Mikel Arteta's half-time message and hails 'important impact' of Arsenal subs in Champions League win over Lille

The England international detailed his manager's dressing-room team talk and credited the bench for turning the tide in Tuesday's 3-0 triumph over their Ligue 1 visitors at the Emirates Stadium. Held at bay by a disciplined Les Dogues defence for the opening hour, the hosts finally found a breakthrough when Jurrien Timber delicately chipped home from Noni Madueke's pass. Fresh legs from the touchline then shifted the momentum entirely, sparking a ruthless seven-minute spell that put the contest to bed.

Handed a rare starting berth, Eze doubled the advantage three minutes after the opener with a cool finish from Bukayo Saka's cut-back, before the winger added a third in the 71st minute.

Expressing his delight after finding the net amidst a cohesive team performance, Eze told the club's official website: "It's fun! You know that opportunities are coming all over the place, so you've just got to be ready, be in the right places, be in the right spaces to get on the end of stuff. It's a fun team to play in!"

The 28-year-old continued: "It was an enjoyable performance from all of us. We dominated the game, and we enjoy winning, so that's the main thing," before adding: "I always want to play, always want to score, and that's the mentality - I'll keep pushing and keep working."

Although the scoreline remained deadlocked at the break after first-half chances for Bruno Guimaraes and Mikel Merino went begging, Arteta resisted the urge to overhaul his tactical setup. Instead, his patience was rewarded after the restart as the tactical adjustments took effect - punctuated by the second-half introductions of Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz, which proved a masterstroke in dismantling the visitors' backline.

Reflecting on the manager's calm approach during the interval and the impact of the bench, Eze explained how subtle tweaks rather than drastic changes unlocked the game. "I think it was just more of the same," Eze said. "There were slight details that we obviously tweaked and changed to give us a bit more dominance, but it was more of the same. We were doing a lot in the first half as well, and I think the players that came on as well really helped us to push on. That was an important impact."

That second-half surge not only secured the result but also provided a major boost in momentum ahead of their upcoming Champions League test. Looking ahead to the prospect of testing themselves against Europe's elite, Eze expressed his appetite for marquee European nights: "[Playing big clubs like Bayern] is always fun. It's always something you want to be doing, you want to be competing, so for sure, I'll enjoy that when it comes."

Securing a ninth victory from 10 outings across all competitions this term also stretched Arsenal's winning run in the Champions League league phase to 14 matches, dating back to their defeat against Inter Milan in November 2024.

Before flying out to Germany for next Wednesday's blockbuster clash with Bayern Munich, the Premier League giants must first travel to face Nottingham Forest on domestic duty this weekend. Both the consistency and squad depth of Arteta's side will face a stern examination as they look to protect their unblemished defensive record in Europe.