You can’t always win pretty, you can’t always steamroll teams and sometimes (especially away from home) you can’t always impose your game exactly as you want. Sometimes you just have to dig in, get a result, then get out of Dodge.

That’s what it feels like Arsenal did last night and with two goals from our two attacking substitutes, yesterday’s prevailing narrative came the tale of Arsenal’s attacking depth, because the impact both Martinelli and Trossard had coming from the bench was pivotal for Arsenal.

Arteta named pretty much the same side that started the Forest game at the weekend, sans Martin Ødegaard who didn’t travel, in what I suspect he thought would be an intense and physical battle with an Athletic Bilbao side who were massively up for this. It was their first Champions League game in an age and so many of their fans were experiencing some new yesterday evening, which added a bit of spice to the game. And that meant that when it all kicked off, they were running in a little more adrenaline than we were, which I thought showed. It was interesting because after about 20 minutes or so the stats flashed up and we’d had almost double the amount of touches and it was something like 60% possession to us. It didn’t feel like that to me and I think that was because despite the touch domination, most of our play had been controlled at the back and in midfield. We set up – as we always do – to dominate possession and control the ball, but as I’d mentioned yesterday morning, Bilbao aren’t a team as fussed about that and I thought for the first third of the game they looked the most dangerous. They created a few half chances, looked to go direct against us and in that first half (which I thought was really lacking in quality from either side really), I thought that there wasn’t too much to hang on to. Gyokeres had the header which just went wide and perhaps he should have done better with, but when we signed him we all knew the stats; he’s just not a guy who is that great with his head and I think that effort was an example of that.

The second half started in similar vein to the first, but I felt we started to win a few more of the second balls we weren’t winning in the first half. In that first half I remember one of the co-commentators on the channel I was watching the game talk about how he expected the players to tire between 60 and 70 minutes and that’s where Arsenal’s depth might give them the edge. It’s funny because so often when you listen to these TV commentators you get such cliched nonsense spouted from their mouths, but this was something that stuck with me. Perhaps even more so given the context of what happened on the 72nd minute. Eze and Gyokeres, who had it tough going on the night (especially with Big Vik getting a head wound after the clash from a corner with Big Gabi), were replaced by Trossard and Martinelli on 71 and within that first minute both had made the kind of impact that as a manager you’re patting yourself on the back for when the dust has settled and you’ve secured the three points.

In many ways it was the ‘archetypal’ Martinelli goal; high line from the opposition, run from deep, plenty of green grass, Martinelli using his pace to get in behind and then slotting in with very little time to think. That central run from out to in through the middle is where he excels; he’s not a guy that impresses when he’s sat there on the touchline and asked to beat his man. It’s just not his game. But if you put him in those positions around the halfway line, then he can be deadly with his pace. It was a well taken goal with a brilliant flick on from Trossard and the impact those two made last night will certainly have Arteta thinking about what the best combination is up top on Sunday against City.

Trossard and Martinelli’s work was not done though, as you and I know well, as both combined on 87 minutes just to make sure that the final exchanges were relatively meaningless. The run from the wide positions to beat his man and cut back on the byline was from a Martinelli who was full of confidence. It was a far cry from the Martinelli we saw at Andield and his cut back to Trossard was perfect. It was funny though because I thought that Trossard had taken a touch too many and the chance had gone with all the Bilbao bodies in front of him, but he found a space for the shot and in off the post it goes. People talk about how Trossard is arguably the best finisher at our club and with a finish like that you can see why; small space, accuracy is key, enough power generated to beat the ‘keeper and we’re going home with all three points.

That’s really important on match week one and also when it is away. I’ve speculated that I think 16 points gets you a top eight spot, which is what you want to avoid extra fixture congestion in the new year, so with that in mind you’re talking five wins and a draw I suspect. If you can get maximum points at home then you need to win one out of four away and Arsenal have ticked that milestone. Of course there’s the four home matches that need to be navigated and we’ve had a weird record against Olympiacos who we play next, but after last night’s ‘dug in’ performance against a tricky opponent, Mikel Arteta will be delighted to get this Champions League campaign under way in good form.

Arsenal now have time to get home, to rest up, whilst City play on Thursday against Napoli at home. Hopefully that little extra time for us can give us advantage on home soil.

Catch you all tomorrow.