Arsenal subs sink Athletic Club in Bilbao as Martinelli, Trossard clinch 2-0 win

By Sfiso

Substitutes turn it as Arsenal grind out a statement away win in Bilbao

Arsenal didn’t so much dazzle as outlast, then punish. On a fierce European night in Bilbao, Mikel Arteta’s side leaned on timing, discipline, and a deep bench to beat Athletic Club 2-0 in the Champions League group stage. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard came off the bench to score the goals that mattered, flipping a tight game in a brutal stadium to visit with a result that says a lot about where this team is mentally and tactically.

Athletic Club’s first Champions League game in 11 years arrived with all the noise you’d expect. The early exchanges matched the mood: fast, direct, and physical. Arsenal had to survive the opening surge—long balls into the channels, whipped crosses, and the kind of second-ball scraps that home sides feast on in Europe. The visitors didn’t blink. They slowed the game when they could, strung passes together when space appeared, and kept the back door locked when it didn’t.

The first half was a contest of control versus chaos. Athletic asked questions from set pieces and quick transitions. Arsenal answered with calm build-up, patient recycling, and clever pressing triggers that stopped the game from becoming a track meet. When the ball did break, Jurrien Timber’s recovery pace and reading of danger stood out, snuffing out runs before they became shots. It wasn’t eye-catching football, but it was the kind of away performance that travels well in Europe.

After the break, the pattern held—Athletic’s energy against Arsenal’s neat combinations—but Arteta had the trump cards. As legs tired and spaces opened, the visitors introduced pace and precision from the bench. Martinelli stretched the pitch immediately, running at tired full-backs and forcing defenders to turn. It was his burst that broke the dam: a sharp first touch, a direct carry, and a clinical finish that beat Unai Simon with just enough whip and placement. One chance, one punishment.

The second goal had the stamp of the training ground. Declan Rice dropped, drew pressure, then threaded a vertical pass that beat the first line. The ball zipped across midfield, Martinelli got involved again, and the sequence ended with Trossard arriving on cue to steer home the insurance. Two subs combining, a starter connecting the lines, and a move that looked like it had been rehearsed all week. Arsenal didn’t just find two moments—they created them on purpose.

The impact of those changes said as much about squad construction as it did about tactics. This is the plan under Arteta: finish stronger than you start, turn tight matches with high-quality options, and trust your structure to keep you safe while you wait for the window to strike. In Bilbao, that plan held.

Athletic were never passive. Their wide players kept asking for the ball early, trying to isolate full-backs and run at gaps. The midfield pressed on the turn, and the crowd pushed every acceleration. But the clear chances didn’t come often. Arsenal’s spacing behind the ball was clean, the distances between lines small enough to prevent easy entries, and the centre-backs stayed brave under high balls. When Athletic did win flick-ons, the second wave rarely had time to build.

What made the difference was game management. Arsenal worked the clock without getting negative: slow when it needed to be slow, sharp when it needed to be sharp. They took the sting out of the atmosphere after the first goal, then took the points with the second. European nights swing on small things—one duel, one decision, one run—and Arsenal nailed those beats.

Inside the tactics and the bigger picture

Arteta leaned on control at source. Rice’s role was central: show early, receive under pressure, and connect the first pass forward. He didn’t just break up play; he started it, carrying the ball through contact and shifting it wide before Athletic could set. That tempo switch helped Arsenal step into the final third with numbers rather than isolated runners. When the subs came on, the platform was ready.

Out of possession, the shape compressed neatly into a compact block with quick counters primed for turnovers. The wingers tracked back, the full-backs chose their moments, and Arsenal denied the cheap switch that many teams try to hit when the press is beaten. It forced Athletic to play through a narrow lane, where interceptions and tackles were waiting.

Set pieces were a real test. Athletic know how to turn corners and free-kicks into a wrestling match, and the hosts piled bodies into the six-yard box. The visitors met that fight head-on, with clear assignments on the first ball and aggressive reactions to the second. Those little wins—one clean header, one smart block—kept the pressure from turning into panic.

The individual performances supported the structure. Martinelli brought chaos in the best way, turning defensive stances into backpedals with his first step. Trossard’s timing between the lines kept the centre-backs guessing—drop to receive or hold the line and risk the cutback. Timber’s positioning on the cover saved yards and seconds all night. And Rice stitched the whole thing together with the composure of a player who understands the rhythm of Europe.

• Gabriel Martinelli: direct running, decisive finish, constant outlet after coming on.
• Leandro Trossard: clever movement and the killer second goal to settle it.
• Declan Rice: tempo setting, vertical passing, and control under pressure.
• Jurrien Timber: calm interventions, smart angles, and leadership in transition defense.
• Unai Simon: solid stops kept Athletic alive until the second goal.

Beyond the scoreboard, this was an early check of Arsenal’s European maturity. Win the tough away game, handle the atmosphere, and control the critical phases. That’s the difference between a side that hopes to qualify and one that expects it. The three points give them margin for error later in the group, the kind of cushion that lets you rotate or absorb an off night without losing momentum.

For Athletic Club, there’s plenty to keep. The intensity was real, the structure held for long stretches, and the return to Champions League action felt like it belonged. The gap was in the final 20 meters, where decisions and details win or lose these matches. As they settle back into the rhythm of midweek games, that last touch should sharpen.

Arteta won’t mind that this wasn’t a showcase. Not every European night needs fireworks. Sometimes you need a clean sheet, a pair of well-timed substitutions, and the veteran feel to quiet a stadium when it roars. Arsenal had all three.

And there’s a useful lesson tucked inside this, too: when your bench can raise the level rather than just freshen legs, you carry a different kind of threat. Opponents can defend well for an hour and still get flipped by new problems. In Bilbao, those problems were named Martinelli and Trossard, and they settled the argument.

Early days in the group or not, this was a result that travels. A big away ground, a tough opponent on a landmark night, and a plan that turned the screw when it mattered. If Arsenal keep stacking performances like this—measured, ruthless in moments, and defensively adult—there will be more of these nights waiting down the line.