Arsenal moved into second place of UEFA Champions League Group F with an important 2-1 home win over Olympiacos.
Oxade-Chamberlain opened the scoring in the 8th minute when he collected the ball from Alex Song, dribbled across the penalty box and planted a crisp finish into the corner beyond Franco Costanzo.
Twelve minutes later, another of Arsene Wenger’s transfer deals paid off, when deadline day purchase Andre Santos charged forward from left back and was slid in by Tomas Rosicky. The cross of Santos was blocked, but the Brazilian defender was first to the rebound and fired home to double the Gunners lead.
In the 27th minute Olympiacos hit back to make the score 2-1, and Arsenal’s long standing weakness at set pieces continued. Ariel Ibagaza worked a short corner on the left flank and floated a cross to the back post. David Fuster met the ball and bundled it home for the Greek side.
Olympiacos captain Vassilis Torosidis rattled the crossbar in the second half, but Arsenal held on for an important three points.
Oxade-Chamberlain had a big night, scoring his first European goal, and also in the process becoming the youngest ever English player to score a UEFA Champions League goal.
The youngster earned glowing praise from fans and pundits, but it is likely the Arsenal coaching staff expected this kind of success from Oxade-Chamberlain, and will demand more.
When a young player graduates from the academy and contributes to the first team it is often perceived as a nice bonus. However that is not the case with Oxade-Chamberlain, who Arsenal spent significant money on during the summer.
For some perspective, the 12 million pound fee Arsenal forked out for Oxade-Chamberlain is more than Liverpool paid for proven Premier League performer Charlie Adam. It is also double the reported fee Tottenham Hotspur paid to sign Scott Parker, who won the Football Writer’s Player of the Year Award last season.
With Arsenal drawing so much attention to their financial struggles over the last few years, you can bet that Oxade-Chamberlain is expected to succeed after so much money has been invested in him.
It is obvious some of the transfer fee will be paid by fans who buy replica jerseys and pay by the letter to have his name on the back! But it is equally important that the young talent delivers goals and assists to win games for the Gunners.
Arsenal assistant manager Pat Rice alluded to that when he said “what he needs now is consistency,” when asked by BBC Sport about the young forward’s performance.
Oxade-Chamberlain will now be looking for regular first team action, and to do so may have to beat out fellow Southampton Academy graduate Theo Walcott. “Theo is a very strong willed guy and he won’t give in easy,” said Rice about what could be an interesting training ground battle.
It is pleasing to see young English talent thriving on the big stage for many fans, and they will be hoping for Oxade-Chamberlain to continue his success. It will be crucial to the success of the club as the season goes on, that the Gunners have as many players as they can firing on all cylinders.
Twelve minutes later, another of Arsene Wenger’s transfer deals paid off, when deadline day purchase Andre Santos charged forward from left back and was slid in by Tomas Rosicky. The cross of Santos was blocked, but the Brazilian defender was first to the rebound and fired home to double the Gunners lead.
In the 27th minute Olympiacos hit back to make the score 2-1, and Arsenal’s long standing weakness at set pieces continued. Ariel Ibagaza worked a short corner on the left flank and floated a cross to the back post. David Fuster met the ball and bundled it home for the Greek side.
Olympiacos captain Vassilis Torosidis rattled the crossbar in the second half, but Arsenal held on for an important three points.
Oxade-Chamberlain had a big night, scoring his first European goal, and also in the process becoming the youngest ever English player to score a UEFA Champions League goal.
The youngster earned glowing praise from fans and pundits, but it is likely the Arsenal coaching staff expected this kind of success from Oxade-Chamberlain, and will demand more.
When a young player graduates from the academy and contributes to the first team it is often perceived as a nice bonus. However that is not the case with Oxade-Chamberlain, who Arsenal spent significant money on during the summer.
For some perspective, the 12 million pound fee Arsenal forked out for Oxade-Chamberlain is more than Liverpool paid for proven Premier League performer Charlie Adam. It is also double the reported fee Tottenham Hotspur paid to sign Scott Parker, who won the Football Writer’s Player of the Year Award last season.
With Arsenal drawing so much attention to their financial struggles over the last few years, you can bet that Oxade-Chamberlain is expected to succeed after so much money has been invested in him.
It is obvious some of the transfer fee will be paid by fans who buy replica jerseys and pay by the letter to have his name on the back! But it is equally important that the young talent delivers goals and assists to win games for the Gunners.
Arsenal assistant manager Pat Rice alluded to that when he said “what he needs now is consistency,” when asked by BBC Sport about the young forward’s performance.
Oxade-Chamberlain will now be looking for regular first team action, and to do so may have to beat out fellow Southampton Academy graduate Theo Walcott. “Theo is a very strong willed guy and he won’t give in easy,” said Rice about what could be an interesting training ground battle.
It is pleasing to see young English talent thriving on the big stage for many fans, and they will be hoping for Oxade-Chamberlain to continue his success. It will be crucial to the success of the club as the season goes on, that the Gunners have as many players as they can firing on all cylinders.
