Olivier Giroud inspired Arsenal to complete a Champions League group stage comeback as his hat-trick at Olympiacos sealed their place in the last 16.
Going into the game having lost three of their previous five fixtures, the Gunners needed to win by two goals or more at the Karaiskakis Stadium or better the 3-2 defeat they suffered at home to the Greek champions in September.
With seven key first-team players missing through injury, Arsene Wenger recalled Theo Walcott after his recovery from a calf problem - but it was Giroud who would produce the goods when it mattered as Arsenal made light work of a seemingly difficult task to seal a 3-0 win.
For Giroud it would have been all the more sweet given he had been sent off in the 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb which started a run of poor results that led to tonight's scenario.
Arsenal become just the eighth side to advance through their group having taken three points or fewer from their opening four matches and Wenger will now be hoping to avoid the big names as they will come up against a group winner in the next round.
The Gunners took their time as they felt their way into the contest but finally stirred as Joel Campbell's cutback was struck goalwards by
Mathieu Flamini, with a deflection off Manuel da Costa taking the ball onto the crossbar.
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