Lens 2-1 Arsenal
by Layth Yousif
at Stade Bollaert, Lens

ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta bemoaned a lack of ruthlessness after his side lost Tuesday night’s Champions League clash against Lens in northern France.

Franck Haise’s side staged a thrilling comeback against Arsenal at a fevered Stade Bollaert.

Gunners’ striker Gabriel Jesus’s 14th-minute opener was cancelled out by Adrien Thomasson’s strike 11 minutes later, prior to Elye Wahi’s 69th-minute winner.

The talented French under-21 attacker announced himself on the biggest stage with his match-clinching goal, which saw the already lively stadium erupt.

The £30 million signing from Montpelier earned ear-splitting acclaim from a passionate crowd that had earlier caught the eye by unfurling huge colourful Tifo displays and unleashing a spectacular pyro show before kick-off by executing a superb first-time finish into the bottom left corner from a cross by Przemyslaw Frankowski.

“Firstly, congratulations to Lens,” Arteta said after the match. “They are a really good side, we knew that. We expected a really tough match and we faced a really tough match.

“We did the most difficult thing: scoring the first goal. We were in total control of the game, that’s when we conceded the goal.

“After that we had four or three big chances to score, and in Europe you have to kill the game when you have those chances.”

The strike from Wahi turned the match on its head, after David Raya, once again failing to impress between the sticks, ceded possession for Lens’s opening goal.

The loss is Arsenal’s first this season in any competition. Coupled with PSV’s 2-2 draw with Sevilla, it now blows group B wide open.

The Gunners’ misery was compounded when Bukayo Saka was forced off 10 minutes before half time with a hamstring injury, prompting fears the 22-year-old England star could miss the visit of treble winners Manchester City to Ashburton Grove on Sunday in a crucial Premier League clash ahead of the international break.

Speaking after the match, midfielder Declan Rice said: “Credit to [Lens]. They defended very well and some of their centre-backs had some outstanding performances.

“We’re only 10 games or so into the season. We’re just warming up and getting into our rhythm.

“Our focus turns back to the league and it’s a massive game on Sunday.”