Arsenal substitutes have scored in five consecutive games and a sense of purpose is growing in north London
Gabriel Martinelli started the sequence when he came off the bench to open the scoring in Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League win at Athletic Bilbao last month. He continued it when he came on again in their next game to conjure the stoppage-time equaliser against Manchester City in the Premier League. And together with everyone at Arsenal, not least Mikel Arteta, who has not stopped talking about the importance of “finishers”, he can luxuriate in how it has grown.
When Bukayo Saka came on to score the clinching goal in Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Olympiakos, it was the fifth match in a row that an Arsenal substitute had found the net. Game three had seen Leandro Trossard seal the 2-0 Carabao Cup win at Port Vale while game four featured Mikel Merino’s equaliser in the 2-1 victory at Newcastle. You have to go back to the beginning of the 2004-05 season for the last time that Arsenal had goals from the bench in five successive matches, which of course was Invincibles territory. Game numbers 41-45 of the fabled 49-match unbeaten league run were marked by goals, in wins, from players who came on as substitutes – Robert Pires (twice), José Antonio Reyes (twice) and Dennis Bergkamp.
Continue reading…Arsenal substitutes have scored in five consecutive games and a sense of purpose is growing in north LondonGabriel Martinelli started the sequence when he came off the bench to open the scoring in Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League win at Athletic Bilbao last month. He continued it when he came on again in their next game to conjure the stoppage-time equaliser against Manchester City in the Premier League. And together with everyone at Arsenal, not least Mikel Arteta, who has not stopped talking about the importance of “finishers”, he can luxuriate in how it has grown.When Bukayo Saka came on to score the clinching goal in Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Olympiakos, it was the fifth match in a row that an Arsenal substitute had found the net. Game three had seen Leandro Trossard seal the 2-0 Carabao Cup win at Port Vale while game four featured Mikel Merino’s equaliser in the 2-1 victory at Newcastle. You have to go back to the beginning of the 2004-05 season for the last time that Arsenal had goals from the bench in five successive matches, which of course was Invincibles territory. Game numbers 41-45 of the fabled 49-match unbeaten league run were marked by goals, in wins, from players who came on as substitutes – Robert Pires (twice), José Antonio Reyes (twice) and Dennis Bergkamp. Continue reading…
