Not since the Spartans at Thermopylae have the Greeks offered up such stiff defence in the face of overwhelming superiority. Olympiakos came to the Emirates this Tuesday night with the intention of playing out a stalemate, so as to take a point with back to Athens, but in the end it turned out to be history repeating itself as Arsenal were able to break down their stubborn resistance and end the evening with all three points: to the victor, the spoils.

The Greek side had clearly done their homework, and the way they set out was reminiscent of the tactics employed by almost every other team to come to Islington; men strung out across the midfield to stifle Arsenal's passing game, and a lone striker to lead any counter attacks that might arise. Their plan seemed to be working too. Fabregas, Arshavin and Rosicky all came close, Fabregas sweet volley which connected with the crossbar was the standout effort, but as the evening wore on, the game seemed more and more likely to be header for a draw.

It was Wenger's ability to call on a wealth of talent from his bench that was the tipping point. Vela and Eduardo would walk into most premiership teams, and their made their presence felt almost instantly: Eduardo latched onto a clever through ball from Fabregas, and was able to hold off a defender before squaring for Van Persie to sweep it into the net.

With Olympiakos strectched as they pushed for an equaliser, it was only a matter of time before Arsenal added another goal. Arshavin was at least a yard offside when he impudently backheeled into the net, but it was no less than the team's performance merited. I may be guilty of saying this every time Arsenal grab a late goal against a very defensive side, but it seems like this is the sort of game that we might have struggled to win in previous seasons. Sometimes that late goal just wouldn't materialise, and we'd have to settle fo a draw. Early indications suggest that this season will be different, as our cutting edge just keeps getting sharper. And with Nasri and Walcott still to come back, things can only get better....right?