Arteta Hails 'Phenomenal' Arsenal Star as Key Player Returns to Spark Olympiacos Victory

Mikel Arteta hailed Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard as "extraordinary" after his team's 2-0 Champions League triumph against Olympiacos on Wednesday night.

Following their away success against Athletic Club in their opening European fixture this campaign, Arsenal extended their flawless start to the competition's league stage with a determined win over the visiting Greek side.

Gabriel Martinelli put Arsenal ahead in the opening stages, while Bukayo Saka sealed the result during added time to calm the increasing tension at the Emirates Stadium.

Nevertheless, it was Ødegaard who earned the Player of the Match accolade, orchestrating play for the Gunners from start to finish. He provided the assist for Saka's decisive strike and topped the statistics for ball touches (88) and opportunities created (four) throughout the encounter.

Arteta naturally heaped praise upon his captain during his post-game media briefing, while also emphasizing that the Norwegian enjoys "complete freedom" to express his creative talents for the Gunners.

"He has complete license to advance forward, Martin, and to operate with that liberty, and to play with that level of danger particularly, not just with his passing, but how he was receiving possession, driving with the ball, making forward runs and reaching truly threatening positions," the Spanish manager explained.

"I believe he set up three teammates today for scoring opportunities. He should have found the net himself as well. So, wonderful to have him available again. He contributed some excellent minutes at Newcastle to help us secure that victory, and I believe today he was extraordinary."

Arteta continued: "I believe that creative aspect is inherent to his character. It doesn't create any burden for him because it's his greatest strength to produce moments that very few players are capable of.

"He enjoys complete freedom from me to act and to experiment and to take chances and to sense the movement and where he needs to create those openings. I believe he's definitely demonstrated that in the previous two matches."

Arsenal, who have now won three consecutive games, will contest their final fixture before the forthcoming international window on Saturday when they welcome struggling West Ham United, and the Gunners understand they will end the weekend atop the Premier League table should they defeat the Hammers and Liverpool fail to win at Chelsea.