Olympiacos 0 Arsenal 1: Alexandre Lacazette strikes as Gunners earn massive win in Greek cauldron
MIKEL ARTETA had warned his kids that there would be no hiding place in the Greek pressure cooker.
And his defiant Gunners stood up to the challenge man and boy to take a huge step towards the last 16 of the Europa League.
Somehow, God knows how, Arsenal are now the only team in Europe’s top five leagues to remain unbeaten in 2020.
Alexandre Lacazette’s 81st minute winner stretched that run to nine games in all competitions, which is a massive improvement on what had gone on in the first half of this season.
The £54million Frenchman applied a cool-as-you-like finish to Bukayo Saka’s inch perfect cross to leave the Gunners in complete control of their own destiny.
They almost snatched a late second goal when Sokratis Papsastathopoulos smacked the bar with a firm header.
But Arteta will settle for the single goal lead for now as he targets a run all the way to the final and possible Champions League qualification.
Just like Arsene Wenger, Arteta’s first European match as Arsenal boss involved a trip across the Aegean Sea.
But while Wenger’s 1997 debut ended in defeat by PAOK Salonika, Arteta’s Euro bow gave their travelling fans real hope of progress.
For this Arsenal team are becoming the masters of the smash-and-grab, drawing the early sting out of games before taking control late on.
And this was no exception to the rule as Bernd Leno, making his first Europa League appearance in 15 months, was forced into action after just two minutes to keep out Mathieu Valbuena’s volley.
ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Follow for all the latest on the Gunners
There was an even closer call for Arsenal two minutes later when Valbuena’s cross picked out Giorgos Masouras for a back-post header which the Greek international should have buried but sent over.
The visitors were playing a dangerously high defensive line considering their lack of pace at the back.
Sokratis was looking particularly troubled at right-back and he was fortunate that there were no Olympiacos players on hand to take advantage after he had been skinned by Kostas Tsimikas.
It must have felt like the final days of Unai Emery’s reign all over again for Leno as the shots rained in on him from all angles.
The German keeper had to be on his toes again to prevent David Luiz from turning Masouras’ cross into his own goal.
But having weathered the inevitable early storm, Arsenal gradually set about mounting a threat of their own on the counter-attack.
Alexandre Lacazette should have put them ahead in the 20th minute but failed to hit the target from Gabriel Martinelli’s cut-back.
And Olympiacos keeper Jose Sa was almost wrongfooted by Granit Xhaka’s 28th minute free-kick which had the sting taken out of it by a deflection off Martinelli.
Yet Arsenal were still missing the midfield vision of Mesut Ozil, who had stayed at home in London to wait for his wife to deliver their first child.
His absence meant another opportunity for Matteo Guendouzi, who returned to the starting line-up after being left on the naughty step at the weekend because of his poor attitude in training.
The young Frenchman was clearly keen to make a positive impression and hared around the pitch like a mad thing.
Time and again he went to ground in apparent agony only to make a miraculous recovery seconds later.
Luiz tried his luck with an ambitious 35 yard free-kick which briefly concerned Sa and Lacazette sent a glancing header wide from Xhaka’s cross as Arsenal stepped up their pursuit of an all-important away goal.
And Olympiacos, unbeaten in the Greek League all season and clearly accustomed to having things their own way, were becoming increasingly agitated by their inability to find a way through to goal.
They were even more agitated by Lacazette’s attempts to buy a cheap penalty when he went down in stages before Ruben Semedo had even made contact.
LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS
The giant centre-half had already been booked for an earlier foul on Lacazette and will now miss the return leg at the Emirates next week.
His physical presence will be sorely missed in a match which Olympiacos know is still well within their grasp.
But they still have to find a way to beat this Arsenal team. And that is something which opponents are beginning to find increasingly difficult.
