Arsenal won 3-0 against Lille. However, not everyone on the French side of the Channel was impressed by the men who started it.
French outlets gave Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres some of their lowest ratings after Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League win at the Emirates. Many named the pair as “flops” despite them starting the match, which ended in a comfortable victory for Arsenal.
Madueke marked down despite the assist
Madueke got the nod on the right wing ahead of Bukayo Saka, who Mikel Arteta said was recovering from illness. He then set up Jurrien Timber’s 64th-minute opener, but the French ratings paid little attention to that.
GFFN gave him a 4/10, claiming that he missed most of his crosses and did little to justify Arteta’s faith in him. Maxi Foot was more generous with 5.5/10, crediting his energetic runs that troubled Lille’s Perraud. Nevertheless, he still complained that he was sloppy with the final ball and too easily won the ball. Foot also gave a 4/10, claiming that he could not have hit anyone with a rubber-bullet launcher in his hands.
It was a harsh verdict on a player who helped create the goal that broke Lille down. Saka replaced him and promptly scored and assisted in the spell that produced all three goals.
Gyokeres struggles against a stubborn Lille
Gyokeres fared worse. He started up front ahead of Kai Havertz and got little service against a well-drilled Lille defence.
Foot Mercato gave him 4/10, saying he struggled to get involved and lost a key duel to Bentaleb in the 28th minute. Maxi Foot also gave 4/10, describing him as rarely found by team-mates, tightly marked and never in a position to threaten Berke Ozer’s goal. So Foot was the harshest of all with 2/10. Closing by sarcastically saying it couldn’t wait for Sweden’s November matches against Bosnia and Poland so he could finally shine.
A tougher run than his record suggests
That jibe stings given what Gyokeres has done in recent months. He scored 21 goals in his debut season for Arsenal, and he came through for Sweden when it mattered. He hit a hat-trick against Ukraine in the World Cup play-off semi-final, then scored the winner against Poland in the final to book Sweden’s place at the tournament.
His start to this season has been slower, though. Reports have pointed to a poor start to 2026/27, with his role in the Arsenal frontline reduced. Against Lille he again couldn’t change the game, and Arteta’s bench did it for him.
The bigger picture
Foreign ratings usually punish the players who start in matches won by substitutes, and it was a stock example. Arsenal had failed to score in their opening half of their last five Premier League and Champions League games before the break, and it was the changes that finally brought the deadlock.
It is a timely warning for Madueke and Gyokeres that the battle for places under Arteta is a finely balanced one. With Saka back in contention and Havertz operating from deep, neither can afford many more such nights.
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