VIDEO Arsenal 3-1 Olympiakos: Highlights; Gunners Survive Greek Test
Arsenal survived a strong showing from Olympiakos to make it six points from two games in this season’s Champions League with a 3-1 victory at the Emirates.
Gervinho had put the Gunners in front at the Emirates, before a header from Kostas Mitroglou showed up the same weakness on crosses that was evident in defeat to Chelsea at the weekend. Arsenal recovered, though, and secured an important victory with second-half strikes from Lukas Podolski and Aaron Ramsey.
Arsenal dominated possession from the off, but struggled to test Olympiakos goalkeeper Balazs Megyeri. Santi Cazorla provided a rare shot on goal from a free-kick that Megyeri had to tip over.
The Greek champions were proving to be a threat at the other end. Kostas Mitroglou fired in a low first-time shot from the edge of the box that Vito Mannone had to dive to his left to keep at bay.
Arsenal got a warning of Olympiakos’ danger from crosses as Giannis Matiatis supplied an excellent ball from the right and Paulo Machado arriving late untracked in the middle somehow put a shot over from barely six yards out.
It was Arsenal who struck first, though, three minutes before the interval. After Lukas Podolski had pulled the back from the left, Mikel Arteta left the ball for Gervinho, who hit a low shot across goal that lacked power but was still enough to beat the perhaps unsighted Megyeri.
The lead did not last long as Arsenal found themselves pegged back before half-time as their susceptibility on crosses once again reared its ugly head.
This time the damaging cross came from the left and a fine ball from Leandro Greco that led to Mitroglu getting in between the center-back pairing of Thomas Vermaelen and Per Mertesacker and producing a fine header across goal and into the net.
Gervinho this time turned supplier with a low cross that Podolski picked up and managed to turn to fire a low left-footed shot that went through the legs of Megyeri and in off his instep.
At 2-1 Arsenal were never exactly secure of victory before Ramsey came on to net a third goal in the final seconds of the contest. Two substitutes combined as Olivier Giroud’s header badly caught out Olympiakos' back line, allowing Aaron Ramsey to race through and supply a fine dinked finish with the outside of his right foot past Megyeri.
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