Arsenal recorded their second successive victory in the Champions League group stages with a 2-0 victory at a pleasantly autumnal Emirates tonight . My night began most pleasantly as I met up with the sage of Hertfordshire , one Btm , who was having none of the 3-0 predictions suggested in Ned’s superb preview . His pessimism was unfortunately borne out by an increasingly edgy Arsenal performance.

It was a deceptive game , the early stages suggesting the Greeks would be comfortably beaten as Arsenal swept forward with a combination of pace , aggression and not a little elegance . Martinelli missed a free header in the second minute but Odegaard who looked back to his creative best was ripping the Greek rearguard to shreds . We took the lead with a twelfth minute tap- in by Martinelli after good work by Gyokeres . This presaged a potential thrashing for Olympiacos but a combination of careless finishing and dogged Greek resistance saw us reach the interval only one ahead . Gyokeres who worked hard and showed a mixture of subtlety and brawn up front was unfortunately the main culprit . He had done most of the spadework for the...