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Following a 3-1 victory over Olympiakos, Arsenal will be delighted to leave Greece with three important away goals and a foot in the quarter-finals of this season's UEFA Europa League campaign.
Mikel Arteta's side started the game with plenty of possession and chances to score. However, their first goal came until the 34th minute courtesy of a marvellous strike from Martin Odegaard. Since joining the Gunners, Odegaard has made nine appearances in all competitions, and the manager clearly sees him as an essential player in the starting line-up.
Not many expected Olympiakos to score an equaliser 10 minutes after the break. However, Arteta's side should have seen it coming. They were sloppy with their passing at the back and gave the ball away far too often in dangerous positions.
Youssef El-Arabi's equaliser left the visitors in momentary shock, but Arsenal were able to quickly regain their composure and focus on the task at hand. In the last 10 minutes of the tie, Gabriel Magalhaes scored and provided an assist for the Gunners.
With this victory, Arsenal are extremely close to advancing into the next stage of the competition as they await their return fixture at the Emirates Stadium.
Here's a look at how the Arsenal players performed against Olympiakos.
Arsenal player ratings against Olympiakos
Bernd Leno: 6/10
Bernd Leno had barely anything to do in the first 45 minutes, but a poor short pass to Dani Ceballos in the second half gifted Olympiakos the equaliser. The Gunners had gotten away with far too many mistakes until that point in this game, and they deserved to be punished.
Hector Bellerin: 6.5/10
The Arsenal right-back didn't have much to do defensively as his opponents hardly created any chances of their own. Like Kieran Tierney, Hector Bellerin had plenty of room to move forward, but he was unable to get an assist.
David Luiz: 6/10
David Luiz was tasked with taking Arsenal's first free-kick of the game, but it barely posed any threat. The last time the Brazilian scored directly from a free-kick was back at the 2010 World Cup, so perhaps the Gunners should think of alternatives before getting the former Chelsea man to take one.
Minutes after Arsenal's opening goal, the 33-year-old was dispossessed in his own penalty area. Fortunately for him and the Gunners, their opponents hit the ball way over the crossbar.
Gabriel Magalhaes: 7/10
After Pablo Mari started for Arsenal over the weekend, Gabriel Magalhaes was called back into action for the Europa League tie against Olympiakos. Although he didn't put a foot wrong, the Brazilian defender was a little foolish to receive a booking from the referee in the first half.
The 23-year-old made up for it by scoring the third Arsenal goal of his career through a brilliant header. The goal became a turning point for the Gunners, who looked to be struggling after their opponents' equaliser.
Kieran Tierney: 6.5/10
Unlike previous games, Kieran Tierney enjoyed acres of space down the left flank. The Scotland international found an early pass to Martin Odegaard, only for the Norwegian to hit it wide. During the match, Tierney delivered multiple crosses into the box but they were all futile.
Thomas Partey: 7/10
The Ghanian midfielder put up a composed and dominant performance in midfield alongside Granit Xhaka but was unable to find the net when presented with the chance. Considering his injury history at Arsenal, Arteta made the decision to replace him early in the second half.
Granit Xhaka: 6.5/10
Granit Xhaka took on the role of a left-back whenever Tierney ran up-front. He provided sufficient coverage at the back but could have been quicker in releasing the ball and getting his side to move fast on the counter.
Bukayo Saka: 6/10
Despite all the chances Bukayo Saka had on the ball, Olympiakos were determined to keep him quiet throughout the 90 minutes. It wasn't the youngster's best performance tonight, and perhaps Arsenal should have substituted him earlier in preparation for the upcoming North London Derby.
Martin Odegaard: 6.5/10
As if Xhaka's mistake last weekend wasn't bad enough, Martin Odegaard almost committed the same error as he carelessly gave the ball away near his own penalty box. The home team should have capitalised on his mistake and taken the lead, but Leno was quick to salvage the situation.
In the 34th minute, the Real Madrid loanee broke the deadlock through a wonderful long-distance strike, which no one was expecting. His goal gave him further confidence to move forward.
Willian: 6.5/10
Willian picked up an assist on the back of consecutive assists in the last three games in all competitions. However, he had a much quieter night in Greece tonight. He tried his best to create chances but couldn't quite find a way through Olympiakos' defence.
Pierre-Emerick Aubayemang: 6/10
In the sixth minute of the game, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang forced an early save from Olympiakos' goalkeeper. Jose Sa nearly tipped the ball into his own net, but it hit the crossbar instead. Other than that chance, Aubameyang saw little of the ball and failed to score when the opportunity arose.
Substitutes:
Dani Ceballos: 5/10
Ceballos definitely had a night to forget. Moments after coming on for Partey, the Spaniard was dispossessed by Olympiakos in his own half and allowed El-Arabi to score an equaliser.
In the previous European match against Benfica, Ceballos also made a couple of mistakes which gifted the Portuguese side a few goals. If the 24-year-old doesn't step up his game, he will continue to be left out of the starting eleven.
Mohamed Elneny: N/A
Mohamed Elneny came on until the 82nd minute. Within three minutes of his appearance, he scored a brilliant goal to ensure that Arsenal leave Greece with all three points and three valuable away goals.
Nicolas Pepe: N/A
Nicolas Pepe came on too late to influence the game. Given his recent form, the Arsenal man should have been given a start.
Emile Smith Rowe: N/A
Having been out with an injury, Emile Smith Rowe was introduced just to warm up for the next game against Tottenham Hotspur. The youngster almost had the chance to score Arsenal's fourth goal after combining with Alexandre Lacazette.
Alexandre Lacazette: N/A
Alexandre Lacazette replaced Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the last few minutes of the match.
