Arsenal 3-1 Olympiakos

Arsenal moved to the top of Group B
in the Champions League with a
scrappy 3-1 win over Olympiakos at the
Emirates.
The scoreline flattered the Gunners
who were pushed all the way by the
Greeks before Aaron Ramsey settled it
in the final minute.
The first half an hour was utterly
forgettable, with both sides busy
without creating any openings, but
then the Greeks served notice they had
not come for a point.
Paulo Machado pulled a cross back to
the edge of the box to Kostas
Mitroglou whose low shot forced a
save out of Vito Mannone.
Then Giannis Maniatis' cross from the
right fell to the feet of Machado five
yards out and he contrived to spoon it
over the bar.
It was against the run of play then that
the hosts took the lead on 41 - Mikel
Arteta's shot was blocked on the edge
of the box and it fell for Gervinho
whose low, slow angled shot beat
Balazs Megyeri's dive.
But the visitors soon had a deserved
equaliser. Leandro Greco's superb
curling cross from the left was met by
Mitroglou - positioned between the
static centre-backs - and he flicked a
fine header across Mannone and in.
Arsenal re-took the lead on 56 -
Gervinho burst into the left-hand side
of the box and pulled the ball back to
Lukas Podolski who fired through the
legs of Megyeri.
Laurent Koscielny missed with a
header from an inswiging free-kick on
72 and on 88 the buzzing Cazorla
pulled back for sub Olivier Giroud
whose first-time shot looked destined
to bring him his first Arsenal goal - only
for a defender to unwittingly deflect it
wide.
But Giroud played his part in the third,
nodding Mannone's kick into the path
of fellow-sub Ramsey, who coolly
clipped the ball over the keeper and in.