Arteta lauds ´phenomenal´ Odegaard display as Arsenal continue perfect start

Mikel Arteta lauded the performance of Martin Odegaard as Arsenal maintained their perfect start to their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over Olympiacos.

Gabriel Martinelli continued his fine scoring form with his third goal in five games to give the Gunners the lead, tucking in a rebound after Victor Gyokeres had struck the post.

This was also the first time the Brazilian had scored in consecutive Champions League appearances after he also netted away to Athletic Club a fortnight earlier.

Bukayo Saka, who came on as a substitute, then made sure of the victory in added time with a shot that squeezed through the legs of goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis.

It was Odegaard who earned special praise from his manager, though, after an all-action display. He provided the assist for Saka, while creating the most chances (four), winning possession most often (eight) and enjoying the most touches (86) of any Arsenal player.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Arteta said of his captain: “He was phenomenal.

“He influenced the game in a manner which is very important for us. He continued to play forward, playing people through on goal.

“He should have scored a goal as well, so [it was] very good to have him back at this level.”

Special delivery for the skipper pic.twitter.com/pRigB9ALhP

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 1, 2025

Arsenal have won their opening two Champions League matches without conceding, a feat last achieved in 2007-08, while Arteta’s men have already kept six clean sheets from their first nine matches across all competitions this season.

Arteta added: “That [keeping clean sheets] is very difficult to do, so credit to the boys.

“The consistency we show in this competition against very tough opponents, and we go again on Saturday [against West Ham].”