Two Stats Showcase Mikel Arteta’s Superb Substitutions as Arsenal Boss Hails His “Finishers”

Arsenal kicked off their 2025/26 Champions League campaign on Tuesday night with a 2-0 win away at Athletic Bilbao thanks to two goals scored by substitutes.

Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring in the 72nd minute, just 36 seconds after his introduction, before fellow sub Leandro Trossard wrapped up the victory late on.

Both scoring subs also recorded an assist, having set each other up for their goals in the Basque Country.

Stats around Arsenal’s scoring subs

Shortly after full-time in Tuesday’s game, stats specialists Opta shared two interesting nuggets of information via social media.

The first was that Martinelli’s goal was the fastest ever scored by an Arsenal substitute in Champions League history.

Opta also revealed that since Leandro Trossard made his Arsenal debut in January 2023, no other Premier League player has been directly involved in more goals as a substitute across all competitions. Trossard has now contributed to 14 goals from the bench, scoring 10 and assisting four.

These two stats appeared to highlight that Gunners manager Mikel Arteta is doing something right when it comes to his in-game changes.

Mikel Arteta hails Arsenal “finishers”

Arteta — whose side are rated as 7/1 shots in the outright Champions League betting — may appear to have cracked it when it comes to making the right subs at the right time.

However, the Spaniard prefers to refer to his subs — at least the ones he uses — as “finishers”, a term more widely common in rugby union.

“Something that we always discuss is that the finishers have to impact the game, and Gabi and Leo came on to make the difference for the team,” said Arteta after the win. “They were outstanding and the rest of the team as well. In many moments, they were at a very good level.

“When someone is able to win the game in those actions and be so clinical, it’s exactly what we need because the threat can come from different ways and different players. I’m very pleased with that.”

Arteta has made clear that he sees these “finishers” as at least as important as his starters, and in some cases more so. With the Gunners playing at such intensity, he believes those introduced from the bench often decide matches.

“The finishers are going to be more important this season sometimes than the starters,” he added. “We can change the game there, especially with the intensity that we play and teams start to drop off.”

Martinelli’s response

The night was especially significant for Martinelli. The Brazilian has endured a difficult spell, losing his starting place and struggling for form, but his lightning impact in Bilbao provided a reminder of his quality.

“I looked on the bench and in his eyes I could see that he was ready,” Arteta said. “I was sure he was going to react like that. He has such a mentality. He’s constantly willing to learn and I’m so happy he decided the game with his two actions.”

Teammates rushed to celebrate with Martinelli after his goal, underlining the togetherness within the squad. Arteta described that reaction as “genuine” and suggested it could provide the winger with a major confidence lift for the months ahead.

What’s next for Arsenal?

The Gunners return to domestic action on Sunday with a home game against fellow title challengers Manchester City.

Arteta’s side then enter the Carabao Cup three days later when Port Vale visit the Emirates Stadium in the third round.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s next European engagement will come on October 1 when Olympiakos come to London.

The Gunners will be hoping to finish as high as possible in the league phase, especially as a new Champions League rule has been introduced this season making placings more important.

From this season, the team that finishes higher in the league phase will always get home advantage in the second leg of every knockout round up to and including the semi-finals.