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They like to talk about invincibility in this part of north London and it remains the only way to describe Mikel Arteta’s record with Arsenal in European group‑phase games at the Emirates Stadium. It is now eight wins out of eight in the Champions League with zero goals conceded. And if you add in the Europa League from earlier in his tenure, it is 14 victories out of 14 with two goals against.
Olympiakos pitched up with a remarkable statistic of their own. They had won on their past three visits to this ground, the most recent two coming in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, even if the second in 2020-21 did not prevent an aggregate defeat. The first was in a Champions League group‑stage match in 2015-16.
Nobody expected anything other than another Arsenal success, the latest demonstration of the power and depth that Arteta has at his disposal despite this being a decent Olympiakos vintage. It was nervier than the home crowd would have liked in the closing stages, the visitors pushing and making for a couple of scares.
This Arsenal team is not easily breached. We are into October and still they have let in only three goals in all competitions – one of them from open play. Gabriel Martinelli scored in the 12th minute and although Olympiakos had their moments they could not find a way past David Raya.
Arsenal were wasteful in the final third. Martinelli was guilty and so were Arteta’s other starters in the front line – Viktor Gyökeres and Leandro Trossard. But when Bukayo Saka, on as a substitute, took a pass from the excellent Martin Ødegaard to jam a shot through the legs of the Olympiakos goalkeeper, Kostas Tzolakis, in stoppage time, it was over. Arsenal have built on the 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in their Champions League opener. Nights such as this only add extra layers to their reputation.
Arsenal had to go back to November 2019 for the previous time they had failed to win a group match at this stadium in Europe; it was the defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, which led to the sacking of Unai Emery, the caretaker hire of Freddie Ljungberg and the arrival of Arteta, whose first European assignment was against Olympiakos in the last 32 of the competition that season. It ended in a last-gasp extra‑time defeat here and an away‑goals exit.
Of the numerous eye-catching lines around this encounter, many were linked to the past. When had Arsenal previously conceded a goal in a European group game on their own turf? It was against Rapid Vienna in the 4-1 Europa League win in December 2020.
Ødegaard was in the mood from the first whistle, bringing the urgency on the ball; the incision. The captain sparked an early move that ended with Martinelli somehow glancing a Myles Lewis-Skelly cross off target; Martinelli was all alone in front of goal. It seemed to come off his shoulder.
No matter. It was not long before Arsenal led and it was Martinelli with the tap-in from a tight angle after Gyökeres saw Tzolakis deflect his shot against a post. Ødegaard had played the pass to Gyökeres and it was all about the striker’s strength; he bulldozed in between two defenders to make it happen.
It was Martinelli on his less favoured right flank; Trossard on the left. And Martinelli simply had to play in his teammate on 21 minutes when Arsenal broke with two against one. Instead, he tried to out-run the last man and could not get around him.
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Arsenal ought to have had more before the interval. Gyökeres ignored a square pass for Martinelli after an Ødegaard through ball and shot at Tzolakis while Gabriel Magalhães went close after an Ødegaard corner. Gyökeres swiped another chance high after a lovely Trossard ball.
Olympiakos came to play. Ayoub El Kaabi looped a header too close to Raya just before Martinelli’s goal and their big chance of the first half came in the 32nd minute when Daniel Podence caught a volley so sweetly from Santiago Hezze’s cross. Raya tipped over – an outstanding reflex save.
The mood was different in the second half. It was not the handbrake from Arteta but his idea seemed to be containment. Arsenal changed down through the gears. Trossard blew a couple of chances and there was anxiety in the home seats; cries for their players to wake up as they survived an Olympiakos thrust on 66 minutes.
Podence’s cross was made to measure for El Kaabi, whose header was well saved by Raya. The striker poked home on the rebound but the offside flag had gone up against him. Arteta, who would withdraw Gabriel Magalhães as a precaution against injury, saw Tzolakis deny Ødegaard; he should not have been able to make the save. Olympiakos retained hope. Saka snuffed it out.
