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Goals from Gabriel Martinelli and late on from Bukayo Saka landed a second group-stage win for the Gunners Man of the match Martin Odegaard spoke to TNT: ““It was nice to be back. I have missed it and I felt good, and it was a good win. “That is what I want to do, especially with those forward players, especially with Viktor [Gyokeres] who is so aggressive and always a threat. That is my job, to create things for them. I could have had a few more assists, but we got the win and I enjoyed it. ” That leaves Arsenal in a decent position after the second week. Here’s David Hytner’s report from the Emirates. Goalscorer Gabriel Martinelli spoke to TNT: “It was a great ball from Myles, we were talking about me attacking the space in the box before the game and he did great with the ball. I could have done better in that one. ” “It’s good for the club, we want to have the best players around us and we have a really good group. We want to win every title that we play in and that is what we are going to try to do. ” “We play for Arsenal and we want to win every single game of the season if possible and we want to win every trophy that we can. ” That turned into a decent workout for Arsenal’s players after that Arteta team selection. Martin Odegaard purred, and Bukayo Saka completed the win for the Londoners. Arteta had to make the changes to see it out. Olympiakos were decent and are treated to some Greek music as they applaud their fans. 90+5 min: The Emirates has been tense but now those who haven’t dashed to the tube are singing loud. Two wins from two. We’ll see Max Dowman yet in this competition. But not here. 90+3 min: The result settled, let’s hear again from Russell Yong: “Not to turn this into a back-and-forth but, in response to Richard Moore, he seems to think I’m an Arsenal fan agitating for Nwaneri to play every game; I am neither. My point was merely to explain why the impatience exists among certain quarters. I think Arteta has been eminently sensible in the speed at which he has integrated Nwaneri and, as I said, there’s a lot of football to be played this season and he will certainly get his chances. But it’s a cliche that saying anything remotely positive or hopeful about a young player is to “pile pressure” on them. When the philosophy is “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough”, the difference between 18 and 19 is academic. At the end of the day, in a team like Arsenal’s, you’re either a trusted first-team player or not. We will know by season’s end. ” Relief for Arsenal, pain for Tzolakis who lets the ball go through his legs. The supplier was Odegaard, the finish was from Saka, the Gunners old firm. 90+1 min: Saliba again does well to stop a ball aimed at El Kaabi. Strefezza has been booked, when it was his cross might have been much better. 90 min: Five minutes will be added on, five nervy minutes. 88 min: El Kaabi has a headed chance, the cross coming in from the right. Big Evangelos was up for that, he thought it was in but it was off Saliba…there’s a penalty check that’s not given. 87 min: Saka lashes it long for Gyokeres to run the channels and get penalised for handball. 85 min: Podence jabs the ball to Chiquinho, who forces a fine save from Raya. They have a corner, in front of their own fans. Gyokeres has to head clear. This has not been easy. 84 min: I was at this game, a famous comeback for Olympiakos. Could there be a late repeat? Their manager back then? Marco Silva. 82 min: So close for Arsenal. Great save from Tzolakis, and again, both efforts from Odegaard. Saka had set up those chances with his pass. 80 min: Danger from El Kaabi means there’s an Olympiakos corner. 78 min: Odegaard can still play his part, then. He has a job to do, as Olympiakos continue to look dangerous. 77 min: Arsenal have a free-kick, and it takes El Kaabi to clear it. Odegaard is still on the field, it was Trossard who was subbed. Meanwhile, Declan Rice is booked for a foul where he admits his guilt. 75 min: Gabriel has a knock, having pulled up when he and Raya were going for the same ball. On comes Christian Mosquera. Olympiakos change: Lorenzo Scipioni for Dani Garcia. 73 min: Big cheers for big players: on some Saka and Eze. Off go Martinelli and the excellent Odegaard, who had faded a tad. 71 min: This doesn’t feel like a Dowman/Nwanieri game. It’s too tense, and the opponent too dangerous. Dowman has until the sixth game of the groups to still be 15 and a Champions League player. 70 min: Richard Moore gets in touch: “It’s a while back on the Arsenal live report now, but Russell Yong’s point about Nwaneri is silly and irresponsible. There’s no sensible measure by which he’s been around for three seasons. He made a two minute substitute appearance when he was 15 in the 22/23 season, and another when he was 16 the following season. Last season was his first full season, then, and he played most of it before his 18th birthday this past March. Phil Foden didn’t have a comparable season until he 19/20, when he was mostly nineteen. Messi was also older than Nwaneri when he had his breakout season in 2005/06. “So let’s not pile pressure on Nwaneri by suggesting that he’s somehow underachieving because he’s not an Arsenal regular yet. Arteta still trusts him enough to have made him a first-half replacement for Odegaard against Leeds. ” 69 min: Gyokeres loses the run of the ball, rather unfortunately, El Kaabi’s goal was offside by mere millimetres. 67 min: Oof! Olympiakos have the ball in the net, Dani Garcia’s flicked header is saved by Raya. El Kaabi taps in but there was an offside, and that’s confirmed via VAR. 66 min: The Gunners yet to shoot on target since scoring. Gyok has gone quiet, too. Eze is warming up… 64 min: Arteta is asking his team to push on. Instant response: Odegaard plays a beauty, Trossard cuts in, too many touches, and is blocked off. 62 min: Timber has to sweep up when Podence makes one of his scuttles down the flank. Olympiakos really are no mugs though nobody sensible would have suggested that. 61 min: Zubimendi is booked for fouling a speeding Martins who might have been away. That was a hauling back. Martins soon departs, as Mehdi Taremi, a fine player, at Inter last year, comes on. He’s a wily fox of a striker. 60 min: Lewis-Skelly takes a knock but Arsenal play on. Trossard takes on Costinha who is a doughty customer. Olympiakos to make changes soon. 59 min: Gabriel is booked for delaying the restart. Kari Tulinius gets in touch: “I’m not worried about Nwaneri. Last season, things didn’t seem to be clicking for PSG’s Senny Mayulu at first, but once he’d gotten used to the hurly-burly of senior football, it all clicked. The wealth of big clubs makes it tempting to solve every problem with money, but often it’s a matter of time and patience. Senny Mayulu just scored against Barcelona. Nwaneri looks like that sort of talent. ” 58 min: Gunners subs: Merino off, Rice on. Ben White off, Jurrien Timber on. 56 min: Daniel Podence’s little legs carry him to the byline and his cross is dangerous. It’s ruled he had gone out of play but a replay suggests otherwise. 55 min: Arteta looks a tad tense. This wasn’t going to be easy as some suggested but increasingly heavy weather is being made. 53 min: Feel old yet? Trossard has another chance but smashes wide. Declan Rice is coming on. Merino is down after smashing into Tzolakis, the keeper. 51 min: Gyokeres sets up Trossard but the move doesn’t quite come off. The final ball has gone awry in recent moments. Number one in the UK when Max Dowman was born: the number one song in the UK on the week ending 31st December 2009 was the re-release of “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine. The anti Simon Cowell hit. On the U. S. Billboard charts around December 31, 2009, the top song was “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys Avatar was the number one film on both sides of the Atlantic. 49 min: Martins looks a good player and his ball to Chiquinho means Podence forces a corner. Noise in the Olympiakos corner but disappointment as it’s cleared. Applause for young Max Dowman as he runs the line in warming up. 47 min: Olympiakos start on the offensive, Lewis-Skelly asked to sweep up as a defender rather than sweep forward on the overlap. 46 min: At the Emirates, the players are back out. The atmosphere seems a tad quiet, though the Greek fans are making plenty of noise. Follow the latest with Michael Butler here. Latest scores in the Champions League 17: 45 Qarabag 2-0 Copenhagen – FT Union Saint-Gilloise 0-4 Newcastle – FT 20: 00 Arsenal 1-0 Olympiacos – HT Barcelona 1-1 Paris St-Germain – HT Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 PSV Eindhoven – HT Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Athletic Club – HT Monaco 1-2 Manchester City – HT Napoli 1-0 Sporting – HT Villarreal 1-0 Juventus – HT Just that Martinelli strikes divides two teams who looked more well matched as the game rolled on. Martin Odegaard has been superb, back to his best? Viktor Gyokeres has trundled with menace, now can he find his shooting boots? 45 min: Just two minutes added to a breathless, entertaining half. Martinelli tries to escape away but is stopped. Merino is down, as is Ortega of Olympiakos. Both quickly resume with the promise of half-time electrolytes. 44 min: El Kaabi falls in the Arsenal box…there’s a flag on the play from VAR but he went down too easily. No penalty given, nor was it deserved. 43 min: Peter Oh gets in touch: “What would self-styled Zeus Evangelos Marinakis do if Panathinaikos Olympiakos were to face Nottingham Forest in Europe? Blast thunderbolts from his eyes and fingers, and then instantly transport to the other side and block the bolts with his golden scepter? !” 41 min: More Gyokeres marauding, another fine Zubimendi pass, and he fires wide. One of these should come off soon. Next, Trossard blams over, set up by Martinelli and out. 39 min: Another chance, this time for Podence who swings and doesn’t make a proper connection. 37 min: Hello, another Olympiakos attack. Podence, the wee man, smashes in a cross and Ayoub El Kaabi nods wide. He’s the danger man. This is turning into a tough assignment. Or a dangerous one, at least. 35 min: More Odegaard skill, sends away Martinelli and corner as Ben White joins the throng. Arsenal have delighted with their passing. Much less rugby union mauling than we have become used to. The corner from Trossard is a beauty and a foul by Saliba on the keeper is ruled as Gabriel gets to it. 33 min: Ally Mc Coist has been thrilling to that pass from Odegaard and compared it to the ball distribution skills of the late, much missed Ray Wilkins. What a player he was, by the way.
