Arsenal were made to work far harder than expected for a 2-0 victory over Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, despite taking an early lead through Gabriel Martinelli for the second successive Champions League match.
What appeared to be developing into a routine evening turned tense until substitute Bukayo Saka struck in stoppage time to ensure Mikel Arteta’s side joined five other clubs on six points from their opening two group games.
Olympiacos, who had triumphed on each of their previous three visits to north London, threatened to frustrate the hosts and looked capable of earning a point. They defended stoutly and rallied after falling behind, but ultimately failed to break through Arsenal’s back line and remain on just one point in the group.
“Very happy, winning in the Champions League is always complicated,” said Arteta. “David had to make an incredible save to deny them a goal. We sat a little too deep at times and they were very dangerous.”
Martinelli, who scored and assisted in Arsenal’s opening group win at Athletic Bilbao and netted a last-minute equaliser at Manchester City earlier in the Premier League campaign, once again delivered in a key moment. He finished from close range after Viktor Gyokeres’s effort struck the post.
Arteta made six changes from the side that edged past Newcastle United at the weekend, with captain Martin Odegaard returning to the starting line-up. Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Saka were among the high-profile names on a formidable bench.
The strength of Arsenal’s squad quickly showed as they began with confidence and fluency, leaving Olympiacos chasing shadows. Martinelli should have opened the scoring inside three minutes but headed wide from Myles Lewis-Skelly’s superb cross. He quickly made amends, but Arsenal were soon given a warning when former Wolves winger Daniel Podence forced a flying save from David Raya with a crisp volley.
Olympiacos grew in confidence after their slow start and continued to pose problems after the interval. They briefly believed they had equalised when Ayoub El Kaabi’s header was clawed away by Raya before Chiquinho tapped in, but the flag had already been raised for offside against El Kaabi.
Arsenal’s excellent defensive record at home in the competition has now yielded 10 clean sheets in their last 13 Champions League fixtures. That resilience was vital once again before Saka, fed by Odegaard, struck low beneath Olympiacos goalkeeper Kostas Tzolakis to settle any nerves.
The return of Odegaard, who has had his season interrupted by minor injuries, was another major boost for the hosts.
“It was nice to be back. I have missed it and I felt good, and it was a good win,” said the Norwegian. “We know the quality we have in the team and how solid we are defensively, so if we can create those chances and flow, it is always going to be good.”
Despite the defeat, Olympiacos manager Jose Luis Mendilibar took pride in his team’s effort.
“I think we were in it until the end, apart from the final few minutes, at a very difficult ground,” he said. “We believed in ourselves and did not change our style of play, even though we were up against a top side.”
Olympiacos have now lost 11 consecutive Champions League away matches in the group or knockout stage.
