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

3. Noni Madueke

It's almost impossible to overstate how slow, stale and soporific Arsenal were before Trossard and Martinelli took to the pitch. At least bar Madueke, who was the only player in the final third with some intent to unsettle the home side.

Madueke went at players, all turns, accleration and impish tricks. While not everything he did worked, far from it, Madueke's proactive approach was part of a refreshing trend.

The pattern is clear. Madueke isn't wasting time taking the shortest possible path to causing problems for defences. It's a refreshing sense of urgency for a team frustratingly ponderous at the business end.

Madueke still has a ways to go to prove he belongs in the Alexis Sanchez bracket. That's Arsenal's best player since Thierry Henry. No matter, though, because Madueke is meriting high praise for the way he's making the Gunners more direct where it counts, even if his fast start poses some intriguing questions about the future.

Questions like what happens when Bukayo Saka is fully fit again? When a winger more in the mold of Arjen Robben is back, but Arteta still wants to over emphasise width and straight lines?

Will Madueke be able to match his recent strong showings if he's moved to the left flank? Will that even happen with Eze in the mix?

Those questions are on hold for now, so Madueke can focus on maintaining his transformative impact on a forward line that needed more than a little something extra this season.