Arsenal2 - 1 Olympiakos: Arsenal edge past Greeks

Two early goals helped injury-hit Arsenal to victory in the Champions League last night although the north London club’s fragile confidence was often exposed by their Greek opponents in an entertaining Group F clash.

Arsenal2

Oxlade-Chamberlain (8), Santos (20)

Olympiakos1

Fuster (27)

Arsenal were two up within 20 minutes as first 18-year-old Champions League debutant Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain beat Franco Costanzo with a low drive and then Brazilian left back Andre Santos struck.

Olympiakos, who had lost all their previous nine away fixtures in England, reduced the deficit after 27 minutes when Spaniard David Fuster placed a textbook header past Wojciech Szczesny but the closest they came to levelling was a shot off the bar.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Song, Andre Santos, Frimpong, Arteta, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arshavin, Chamakh. Subs: Fabianski, Park, van Persie, Ramsey, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Coquelin.

Olympiakos: Costanzo, Torosidis, Mellberg, Marcano, Holebas, Orbaiz, Fejsa, Ibagaza, David Fuster, Djebbour, Mirallas. Subs: Megyeri, Modesto, Pantelic, Papadopoulos, Makoun, Potouridis, Abdoun.

Referee: CV Carballo (Esp). Att: 59,676