3 Standout players from Arsenal's 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the UEFA Champions League

Arsenal got this season's UEFA Champions League campaign started the right way with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at San Mames on Tuesday, September 16, a night when the result overshadowed a drab performance rescued by substitutes.

Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench and reminded manager Mikel Arteta of his special set of skills by netting the winner in the 72nd minute. Martinelli had been sent clear by fellow sub and second goalscorer Leandro Trossard, who offered more ingenuity than splash summer signing Viktor Gyökeres, who laboured through a tough night that left him bloodied.

Gyökeres wasn't the only big-money import who was off the pace and out of sorts. So was £67.5 million man Eberechi Eze, although the wing wizard's natural wanderlust was restricted somewhat by Arteta's demands for him to hug the touchline.

Fortunately, the Gunners did get some direct pace and power from a typically lively Noni Madueke. The former Chelsea wide man hardly anybody wanted continues to defy the critics and prove his fit for Arteta's system.

Madueke is winning over the doubters, but it's Martinelli who did the most to change the narrative about his future. Not to mention about where the Brazilian fits best in this Arsenal team.

1. Gabriel Martinelli

The way Martinelli raced clear, kept the ball under close control, composed himself, picked his spot and passed the ball into the net, told a truth Arteta has to face. Martinelli's a natural born striker, the best true finisher in the squad.

Those are qualities the Gunners can't keep ignoring. The challenge for Arteta is not whether to keep faith with Martinelli. It's to find a way to include the 24-year-old in a central role more often.

Doing so will require the gaffer being braver and more imaginative tactically. That's the tricky part for an Arsenal manager who's more of an ode to George Graham than Arsene Wenger.

If Arteta needs an incentive to play Martinelli, or to dare I even say, deploy two strikers, he need only consider Martinelli's ability to instantly change matches. He did exactly that a mere 36 seconds after coming off the bench to replace a strangely uninspired Eze.

While the latter can be forgiven for experiencing some first day nerves in Europe's premier club competition, Martinelli is a proven commodity Arsenal can ill afford to be without.

Another experienced and versatile forward is making a similar case not to be forgotten in this season's pecking order.

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