By Irishexaminer.com,Nick Callow

Copyright irishexaminer

“What an amazing place to play football,” the Arsenal manager said, still emotional from the din of San Mames.

“One of the best atmospheres I’ve played. A really tough match. We knew the first 20 to 25 minutes were going to be very tough, so intense, a lot of direct play. But in the second half we were much more dominant, much more of a threat. At the end the conditions made an impact for us to win the game. Overall, I’m very happy.”

If Athletic’s intensity left Arsenal scrambling early, it was the cold-blooded intervention of Arteta’s “finishers” that tilted the balance.

Martinelli, who has lost his starting place this season, struck in the 72nd minute, just 36 seconds after coming on. Bursting onto Trossard’s pass, he raced half the length of the pitch before sliding a low finish beyond Spain’s No 1 Unai Simón.

Just as the Basque crowd braced for a grandstand finish, Trossard himself sealed victory with a scrambled effort four minutes from time. The Belgian’s close-range strike, aided by a heavy deflection, was less aesthetic but no less decisive.

Arteta admitted his substitutes have become “at least equally important, or more important, than the starters” in a season where squad depth may define Arsenal’s campaign.

“I’m very pleased to see that,” he said. “The finishers are going to be more important this season than the starters. Especially with the intensity that we play, when the team starts to drop off, we can change the game again. Fully deserved. I adore Gabriel, his attitude, his commitment, his positivity, what he’s willing to do for the team. I’m so happy today he showed that again.”

Martinelli’s celebration, sprinting towards the travelling supporters, carried the air of personal redemption. His manager spoke of a mentality that refuses to sulk.

“I was sure that Gabby was going to react like that,” Arteta said. “You raise the level to him and he was going to do that. He has such a mentality. He’s constantly willing to learn. Hopefully this gives him the confidence again to go, because he’s an outstanding player.”

For Trossard, the script was similar.

Left on the bench despite a strong start to the season, his late contribution was less polished but equally important.

“It’s always very difficult emotionally to leave players out,” Arteta explained. “I know how much they want to play this competition and what it means to them. But I looked at them on the bench, I looked in their eyes and I could see they were ready – Leo as well. They play with confidence and connection, and that’s going to help us a lot for the future.”

The manager’s comments went beyond tactics. They were also a reminder of the cultural demands he has imposed on his squad.

“I was very clear with them,” he added. “When I leave a player out, it hurts me. But the only thing I can do is my job. I have to make decisions to increase the probability of winning matches. Sometimes right, sometimes wrong, but we all know to maintain our standard, everyone has to be responsible – in training sessions, in the atmosphere they create, in how much they care for each other. All of them will play for sure.”

For long spells it did not look as though Arsenal would find their way through.

Athletic, fielding 11 Basque players and all of them Champions League debutants, the first Spanish side to do so since Real Madrid three decades ago, began with ferocious energy.

They unsettled Arsenal with their direct running and almost scored when Jurrien Timber’s misplaced clearance fell to Gorka Guruzeta, whose effort whistled wide.

Arsenal gradually asserted themselves, with Viktor Gyökeres going close on two occasions before a nasty clash of heads left him bandaged and bloodied.

New signing Eberechi Eze struggled to impose himself on his Champions League debut and was replaced by Martinelli after 71 minutes, a switch that altered the contest.

The atmosphere inside San Mames remained thunderous to the last. There is not a Premier League ground that can match this place for noise, but it was Arsenal who carried the greater punch when it mattered.

For last season’s semi-finalists, this was less about spectacle than survival.

The performance was patchy, the goals opportunistic, but Arteta could not have been clearer: nights like this will be decided by the depth and resilience of his squad.

“The finishers will be more important than the starters,” he repeated. “And that’s how we’re going to keep going.”

In Martinelli and Trossard, Arsenal may just have found the perfect model for navigating Europe’s hardest nights.

Athletic Club: Unai Simon 7, Gorosabel 6, Vivian 6, Paredes 6, Adama 6, Vesga 6 (Rego 81), Jauregizar 6, I. Williams 7, Navarro 6 (Unai Gomez 61, Nico Serrano 81), Sancet 6 (Guruzeta 68), Berenguer 6.

Arsenal: Raya 6, Timber 6, Mosquera 6, Gabriel 6, Calafiori 7 (Hincapie 90), Zubimendi 7, Rice 7, Merino 6, Eze 5 (Martinelli 71), Madueke 7 (Norgaard 90), Gyokeres 6 (Trossard 65).

Referee: Donatas Rumsas (LTU) 5.