Williams calls Arsenal Champions League favourites after Athletic’s 2-0 home defeat

Inaki Williams has delivered a stark assessment of Arsenal’s European credentials after watching his Athletic Club side fall to a late 2-0 defeat in Bilbao. The forward admitted the scoreline did not reflect the intensity of the match but conceded that Arsenal’s ruthless finishing confirmed their status as one of the Champions League’s leading contenders.

The game at San Mamés looked finely balanced until the final minutes. For much of the evening, the Gunners were frustrated by Athletic’s aggression and organisation. Yet Arsenal’s substitutes turned the tide. Gabriel Martinelli struck first, followed swiftly by Leandro Trossard, to seal the points in Spain and silence the home support.

Speaking afterwards, Williams told Movistar he believed Arsenal’s quality made the difference. “The result doesn’t reflect what the match was like because we played a good game. In the end, it’s Arsenal, one of the favourites in this competition,” he said. “We fought, we gave it our all, and today it wasn’t to be.”

Williams highlighted the difficulty of containing world-class attackers capable of punishing the smallest lapse. “They have a lot of quality. We knew this before the start, that world-class players can kill the game in two isolated plays,” he admitted.

Athletic had cause for regret. For long stretches, they looked the sharper side. Williams insisted his team’s effort should not be overlooked, even in defeat. “We were far superior in the first half, but they weren’t comfortable at all. It’s true that after the 1-0, we were a little down in spirit, but we still kept pushing and competing,” he said.

The Basque side entered the group stage determined not to merely make up the numbers, and Williams reinforced that stance. “There are seven more games left, and what’s clear is that Athletic didn’t come here to enjoy this competition, but to compete in it,” he stressed.

For Arsenal, the victory underlined their growing resilience. Having reached last season’s semi-finals before falling to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain, Mikel Arteta’s men are determined to go one better this time. While their display in Bilbao was far from fluent, the ability to strike late away from home will only fuel belief that they can mount another serious challenge for the European Cup.

Arteta will know his side cannot afford to be as flat for large periods in tighter contests. Yet in Martinelli and Trossard, he possesses attacking weapons capable of changing a match in an instant. Their impact ensured Arsenal left Spain with maximum points and momentum intact.

For Athletic, the challenge now is to recover quickly. Williams’ leadership on and off the pitch remains pivotal, and his words suggest a determination to prove they belong among Europe’s elite. The San Mamés crowd may have gone home disappointed, but their team’s defiance against one of the continent’s best sides offers some encouragement.

As the group stage unfolds, Arsenal carry the label Williams himself applied: favourites. With expectations high and their rivals wary, the Gunners must now live up to that billing