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And … breathe. When the Arsenal winger fired a low drive then powerfully past Kostas Tzolakis to seal an occasionally uncomfortable two-goal victory, the sound from the Emirates faithful was closer to a tired, sofa-flopping sigh than a celebratory cheer, giving the feeling, finally, of a midweek task accomplished.

This was a game the Gunners seemed destined to win, even though appearing to acknowledge it somewhat prematurely in the piece facing eager and purposeful opponents. Nobody attracts the harsh and critical gaze quite like Arteta’s squad, for whom a deep roster, the unforgivable act of assembling a potentially title‑winning team, is the latest crime in the record books.

But sometimes it’s essential to complete the task. From the start the stadium seemed like a routine venue, a continuation of the busy city streets outside the hard white lights, London urgency, business-like football, a necessary task as we approach that part of the year when the lights come on at four and the season begins to intensify.

Victory aside, two interesting things happened here for Arsenal. Martin Ødegaard completed the full match. Meanwhile Victor Gyökeres went the distance as well. They did so in distinct manners. The captain shone, even during spells when Arsenal were not, and this is important: 84 touches, four shots, an assist, a reel of delightful passes, subtle touches, intelligent cues. He truly stands as a pleasure to observe when he’s in this form, half graceful creator, half relentless pressing force, darting around similar to a bead in a pan of hot oil.

The forward was his usual self: powerfully direct, haring about the place from first to last as if pursued by a herding animal. Yet he also intrigued because he represents evolution, different patterns, and to wanting more. And there are points to be digested at this stage, albeit this game wasn’t really one of them.

The skipper excelled when Arsenal were not.

This marked the second time team owned by Evangelos Marinakis Arsenal had come up against in the past few weeks and Marinakis was duly present in an expensive casual top and California vice squad silky blazer, appearing as someone who constantly is heading toward a speed boat, has just got off a speed boat, or aboard a speed boat, preferably surrounded by a entourage over a melodic rock score.

There were some fun crowd moments in the opening stages. The Olympiakos boss, the passionate Greek side’s coach, became embroiled in a dispute with the fourth official, a vast terrifying bald man, like the bouncer at the entrance to a nightclub only for bouncers. On the Olympiakos left Ben White, tall and sturdy, marking Daniel Podence, small and agile, had a slight mismatch appearance. And for a while this threatened to become a comfortable affair, with an opening goal made by the duo. It was a beautiful thing, a delicate touch followed by a powerful finish.

First Ødegaard did something smart, drifting into a pocket of space between midfield and defence, dodging a defender then playing a perfect pass between two grey shirts to meet the sprint of the striker. At that moment, the powerhouse took over, Gyökeres basically ran through a pair of defenders, before blasting a shot at the keeper. As the ball trickled towards goal Gabriel Martinelli attempted to let it cross the line, before hammering home the loose ball after it hit the woodwork.

This was the best of Gyökeres, who sometimes appears far from a technically gifted player among these teammates, but doesn’t appear bothered, or feel cowed. Olympiacos gave him some rough stuff following the score. He was shoved and jostled repeatedly. He rose, came back for more.

Gyökeres is just a different beast, within this squad, with that distinctive way of carrying the ball, not so much dribbling as knocking it ahead and then running after it, like a Great Dane chasing a beach ball. He’s a battering ram. But this is OK. The team previously lacked a physical presence in the past.

He will need to get better, quicker to shoot, more precise in tight spaces. However, this is noteworthy, since Gyokeres is also the only part of this re-geared team yet to fully integrate.

This is not quite a moment to pause: that moment will arrive following the weekend fixture, but the team can presently at least prepare accordingly and take a mouthful of Kendal mint cake.

It always looked like the fall schedule would break down into two separate phases. The first of those is now behind them. A busy run of matches, including key rivals, top opponents, Nottingham Forest, title contenders and Newcastle, and bookended here with a challenging evening versus the Greek champions.

At the end of that the statistics show: won seven, one defeat, drawn one with five clean sheets. There are intangibles too. Scoring distributed across the squad, and just a single goal allowed from open play. Depth exists for the wing, defensive backups, alternatives in midfield. Best of all Mikel Arteta has shown dynamism, has learned on the job, has been impressively fluid and urgent with his patterns in the recent matches, amid an era of self-hobbling systems fetishism elsewhere.

This isn’t the start of a new era. It’s not even the conclusion of the initial phase. However, the upcoming fixtures represent, broadly speaking, a favorable stretch relative to before, with multiple domestic matches that look winnable and the Champions League currently on track. Assuming normal conditions, and with the captain in fine form, there is a feeling of momentum building. And almost, but not quite, a moment to relax.