LONDON -- At their best on Wednesday night, Arsenal played in the sort of fashion that their critics (and a few of their supporters) have been craving. This was the Gunners at their zippiest, the ball flying up the field so that Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli could drive at the Olympiacos backline before it was settled. Better decisions when the chances really presented themselves, and this would have been a more comfortable night for Mikel Arteta's side, who had the odd shaky moment and plenty of clumsy finishes in the 78 minutes between Gabriel Martinelli's opener and Bukayo Saka's nerve-settler at the death.

It ought to be no surprise that these moments of prime Arsenal arrived on the night that Martin Odegaard returned to the XI, completing a full half of football for the first time since the opening weekend. What was supposed to be the year where the club captain had his "yeah, I'm thinking I'm back" season has been one of frustrating false starts. Determined to shake off a season spoiled by an ankle injury, Odegaard has looked much more like his old self when he has made it on the pitch. He just would have...