Article body analysed

This video can not be played Champions League highlights: Arsenal 2-0 Olympiakos At a glance Gabriel Martinelli nets early goal Olympiacos have a goal ruled out for offside Arsenal's Gabriel goes off with an injury Substitute Bukayo Saka hits late second PLAYER RATINGS Gabriel Martinelli's early goal helped Arsenal maintain their perfect start to the league phase of the Champions League as they overcame Olympiacos. Having beaten Athletic Club in their first game of the competition thanks to a goal and an assist from the Brazilian forward, he was again crucial for the Gunners. Striker Viktor Gyokeres powered his way through the Greek side's defence, but when his shot bounced off the post after being saved by Konstantinos Tzolakis, Martinelli was on hand to tap in the rebound. Substitute Bukayo Saka sealed the success in added time with a shot that squeezed through the legs of Tzolakis. Mikel Arteta had made six changes from the side that dramatically beat Newcastle United on Sunday as the Arsenal manager utilised his new squad depth thanks to a £250m summer spend that brought in eight new players. This has played a huge part in a solid start to this season and Arteta will be glad of the opportunity to protect key players such as Declan Rice and Saka in their busy schedule. Olympiacos did threaten after Martinelli's 12th-minute opener as Daniel Podence forced David Raya into an excellent save from a superb volley from inside the area which the keeper pushed over the crossbar. Francisco Chiquinho also had a goal ruled out for offside as the visitors pushed for an equaliser. But Arsenal had chances at the other end too, with Martin Odegaard denied by Tzolakis and brave defending. And having set up that chance for his captain, it was Saka who ensured success just before the end. Have your say on Arsenal's performance This video can not be played He's a complete player who makes Arsenal tick - Butt on Odegaard A key factor in Arsenal's comeback win against Newcastle was the performance of captain Odegaard from the bench. He dictated play and put in the corner which centre-back Gabriel headed in to secure a crucial three points. Odegaard has been battling with a shoulder problem and is building up his fitness after a frustrating time at the beginning of this season. He now looks to be over that issue and was handed a start against Olympiacos. Arsenal have changed their style of play this season to be more direct bring out the best in Gyokeres. Odegaard, who seemed to have all the time he wanted on the ball in midfield, repeatedly played dangerous balls in behind the Olympiacos defence and the opening goal came from one of those instances. He then set up Saka for the second - and claimed the assist his performance deserved. Boss Arteta has a lot more options in midfield this season so Odegaard's absence has not been felt as much as usual, but the Norwegian international showed in this performance why he is so often a key man for Arsenal. Arsenal are back at home on Saturday, 4 October (15: 00 BST) as they host West Ham and look to keep up the pressure at the top of the Premier League. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 1st October 2025 at 22: 08 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Mikel Arteta Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Manager: José Luis Mendilibar Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Mikel Arteta Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Manager: José Luis Mendilibar Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 UEFA Champions League All competitions All competitions All competitions This will be the 13th time Arsenal and Olympiakos have faced each other in European competition, with none of the previous 12 ending in a stalemate and both sides winning six games apiece. Arsenal have faced Olympiakos on four occasions during Mikel Arteta’s reign as manager (W2 L2); only facing PSV (6) more often in European competition. The Greeks eliminated them from the UEFA Europa League in 2019-20 (last 32), before the Gunners eliminated Olympiakos from the same competition the following season (last 16). Olympiakos have won two of their last three away games against English sides (L1); one of those being against Arsenal at the Emirates (1-0 in March 2021), along with a 4-2 win at Aston Villa in May 2024. This is as many victories as the Greek side managed in their first 17 away games versus English opponents in major European competition (W2 L15). Arsenal have won each of their last five games in the group/league phase of the UEFA Champions League, their longest such run since winning six in a row between December 2004 and November 2005. Olympiakos have only scored one goal in their last six UEFA Champions League matches (D1 L5), despite attempting 51 shots across those outings and hitting the target 11 times. Among teams who have been involved in the last two editions of the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal have conceded fewer goals per game than any other team in the competition (0. 72 – 18 in 25 games). Indeed, they also have the lowest expected goals conceded per game average (0. 9) amongst that group. Based on the x G of shots on target faced, Arsenal’s David Raya has prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the UEFA Champions League since the start of last season (+5. 8 – nine goals conceded from 14. 8 x G on target, excluding own goals). Noni Madueke made the joint-most carries into the penalty area (7) in the opening round of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League campaign (level with Rodrygo, 7). He also progressed the ball upfield via carries by a total of 210 metres in the match against Athletic Club, with Jérémy Doku being the only winger with a higher total across all MD1 fixtures (285 metres v Napoli). Ayoub El Kaabi has scored 21 goals in 24 appearances in major European competition for Olympiakos. However, he failed to score with any of his four shots on MD1 of this UEFA Champions League game against Pafos; his joint-most attempts without finding the net in a major European outing for the Greek side. Martín Zubimendi made 13 line-breaking passes in his first UEFA Champions League game for Arsenal (v Athletic Club on MD1); the most of any player in the match. Indeed, this was also the most by a midfielder in the defensive half (10) across all the matches played across the opening matchday of 2025-26. Foul by Costinha (Olympiakos). Attempt blocked. Costinha (Olympiakos) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Offside, Olympiakos. Ayoub El Kaabi is caught offside. Attempt blocked. Leandro Trossard (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Martin Ødegaard. Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Lorenzo Pirola (Olympiakos). Attempt missed. Mehdi Taremi (Olympiakos) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Chiquinho with a cross following a set piece situation. Substitution, Olympiakos. Mehdi Taremi replaces Gelson Martins. Martín Zubimendi (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Martín Zubimendi (Arsenal). Gelson Martins (Olympiakos) wins a free kick on the right wing. Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Santiago Hezze (Olympiakos). Offside, Olympiakos. Ayoub El Kaabi is caught offside. Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card. Substitution, Arsenal. Jurriën Timber replaces Ben White. Substitution, Arsenal. Declan Rice replaces Mikel Merino. Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Costinha (Olympiakos). Delay over. They are ready to continue. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.