Rueful Arsenal fall to Lens in first defeat of season

DEJECTION: Arsenal’s Declan Rice reacts after the concede a second goal during the UEFA Champions League Group B match at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Pic: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

RC Lens 2-1 Arsenal

Errors were the talk of the town as Arsenal and RC Lens both benefited from mistakes from one another, but the Gunners still fell to a 2-1 defeat in northern France.

It was a first defeat of the season for Mikel Arteta’s men in all competitions, as Lens came from behind to beat the English outfit after two defensive mistakes from the Gunners in either half.

An explosive atmosphere greeted both sets of players at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Arteta and his side fully aware they were coming for war against one of France football’s returning big dogs.

A first match between the two clubs in 23 years in a fixture which offered plenty of drama throughout the few times both sides have shared the pitch with each other, with he Gunners were watched on by the next generation of talent looking to break into the first team from the prestigious Hale End academy.

Arteta expected Arsenal to “have a huge test” from the Ligue 1 runners-up and as previously acknowledged, it was a fast-paced start from the flamboyant home side.

But Arsenal are imperious in the group stage of UEFA European competitions, and that trend looked to continue as they took the lead 14 minutes in. 

A loose Lens pass was pounced on by Bukayo Saka, who slipped the ball onto Gabriel Jesus and the Brazilian arrowed his shot into the bottom left corner to reward the Gunners’ early dominance on the match, silencing the home crowd in the process.

It had been 1,671 days since Arteta’s men stepped foot in France, when an Unai Emery led Arsenal succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Stade Rennes. And although they had gone ahead, Les Sang et Or showed their fighting spirit and were level in the 25th minute. 

A poor clearance from David Raya was pounced upon on the Lens left-hand side, and after a quick ball into the middle, Adrien Thomasson added the finishing touch with a stylish curling effort into the bottom-right corner.

It was already the third match of the season in which the Gunners have been leading and then pegged back by their opposition, an unwanted trend the club saw appear more often in the latter stages of their title demise in the previous campaign.

Saka’s injury ten minutes later piled more misery onto his side’s first half fortunes, with Arteta now having to sweat over the fitness of the England winger for the north Londoners’ crunch Premier League match against Manchester City on Sunday.

The second period offered much of the same as the first, with Arsenal dominating most of the ball and Lens relying on individual errors to get a chance at Raya in goal. 

The home side were no match for the physical dominance being shown by Arteta’s giant, imperious side, but the unrivalled support from the home crowd was evident as a symphony of sound roamed around the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

Leandro Trossard almost silenced the home side minutes after the restart, but Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba was on hand to halt the Belgian in his tracks, further frustrating the luckless Arsenal attack in the process. In the 63rd minute another Gunners error, this time from former-Lille player Gabriel, was pounced upon by Salis Abdul Samed, but the Ghanaian could only guide his shot into the side netting.

But Arsenal’s stark drop-off in the match was finally compiled as the hosts completed the turnaround in the 69th minute to take the lead.

Young forward Sepe Wahi, a £30 million acquisition from fellow French outfit Montpellier, perfectly placed the ball into David Raya’s bottom corner from Przemyslaw Frankowski’s well timed cross.

It was pandemonium for Franck Haise and his side, but all composure had left Arsenal, who struggled to string three passes together as the match slipped further away from their grasp.

Arteta’s men have been in positions this season where they have thought back to claim points, but once they went behind it felt like there was only ever going to be one winner. The desire was there from both sides, but Lens wanted it more, and Arsenal had no answers to getting back into the match. 

The emotion from Les Sang et Or after Samba’s superb reflex save from Reiss Nelson’s 88th minute effort told you all you needed to know about the passion and commitment from the French outfit.

The Stade Bollaert-Delelis erupted, the jeering becoming infectious from all four corners of the ground and the celebrations deafening as referee Marco Guida blew the final whistle. 

Arsenal had finally been defeated, and as the away team trudged off the pitch and the fans out of the stadium, the home ends remained full, the celebration of a famous win only just beginning.

The Gunners now need to regroup ahead of their key clash against Manchester City on Sunday, which could define their season already.

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya 4; Tomiyasu 6, Saliba 6, Gabriel 4, Zinchenko (White, 70’) 4; Rice 5, Havertz (Smith Rowe, 70’) 4, Odegaard (Nketiah, 80’) 5; Saka (Vieira, 34’) 6, Jesus 6, Trossard (Nelson, 70’) 5.

RC Lens (3-4-2-1): Samba 7, Medina 6, Danso 8, Gradit 6, Machado (Aguilar, 81’) 6, Abdul Samid 5, Mendy (Diouf, 73’) 6, Frankowski 7, Thomasson (Fulgini, 73’) 7, Sotoca 6, Wahi (Said, 74’) 8.

Referee: Marco Guida