ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL! Arteta's massive gamble eventually pays off vs Lille but struggling Arsenal star fluffs his big chance

This was some turnaround and proof there is no substitute for proven quality.

Arsenal blitzed Lille with a three-goal second half salvo from Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka as the Gunners maintained their winning start in the Champions League.

But it needed Mikel Arteta to bring on the big guns to really seal the win after a frustrating hour in which a much-changed line-up struggled before it eventually became very comfortable.

It now sets up Arsenal for their heavyweight clash at Bayern Munich next week but it also showed they are on a mission in Europe this season.

There is a sense of unfinished business in the Champions League for Mikel Arteta after losing last season’s final to Paris Saint Germain.

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Arteta almost left his last sentence hanging before the match as he talked about regrets, falling below their usual standards in Budapest last May and trying to go one better this time.

They certainly delivered a statement of intent as they won their first Champions League tie at Napoli and this felt like a big opportunity to keep the momentum going against French club Lille.

But Arteta gambled by changing half of his outfield starting line-up - and, for much of the match, it looked like it was in serious danger of backfiring.

They looked like strangers against what was, quite frankly, a very average looking Lille side as the fresh faces struggled to seize their opportunities.

In came Timber, Bruno Guimaraes, Eze, Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres from the team which beat Leeds on Saturday. You might have thought Gyokeres would be chomping at the bit after his frustrating start to the season but he looked miles off it.

They missed chances in a very dull first half and you could sense the frustration beginning to build inside the Emirates.

It took Arsenal 20 minutes to even have a shot. Gyokeres fed Timber and his pull back set up Guimaraes who, despite his goalscoring supersub heroics on Saturday, had mislaid his shooting boots this time and fired wide.

Two minutes later, Timber was at it again as his cross found Merino but his header was straight at Lille keeper Berke Ozer. Merino normally eats up those sort of headed chances.

Merino was having an off night and the frustration got to him as he was booked for a blatant trip on Lille forward Ayase Ueda.

That was the story of Arsenal’s night. They were lacking in rhythm and momentum. Then it all changed with three goals in the space of seven minutes.

The first came after 64 minutes. Madueke’s short pass found Timber who turned neatly and then fired a cross shot into the far corner to break the deadlock.

Suddenly the mood inside the Emirates changed. Arteta also brought on the big guns as Saka came on and his low cross was swept home by Eze who scored his first of the season.

Then it got even better after 71 minutes. Arsenal substitutes Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard combined beautifully to set up Saka whose low shot flew into the far corner to make it 3-0.

When he needed them most, the big guns stepped up from the bench to maintain Arteta’s perfect start to the Champions League campaign.

There was a late cameo for Lille’s former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud who came on to a mixed reception after his defection to Chelsea.