Blunders cost sloppy Gunners

ARSENAL ended their Champions League Group F campaign with a defeat at Olympiakos — but the Greeks still missed out on the knockout stages.

Despite qualification and top spot already secure before last night’s clash in Athens, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger — taking charge of his 200th European tie — will have expected better as defensive lapses again proved costly.

But Wenger had few complaints after using the match to give a run-out to some of his fringe players.

He said: “We must give credit to Olympiakos tonight because they played a very physical game and in the first half it was very difficult for us,” he said.

“In the second half at 2-1 we looked like we might come back, but they were dangerous and probably deserved it.

“Many of the players did not have experience in the Champions League so were a bit surprised by the pace of game.”

The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium was rocking as the home side started on the offensive, with Arsenal barely able to get out of their own half during the opening five minutes.

Suddenly the visitors burst clean though when Marouane Chamakh was found in space down the right. His cut-back picked out the on-rushing Andrey Arshavin, who darted into the Olympiakos penalty area, only to shoot straight at Hungarian keeper Balazs Megyeri.

Olympiakos had the lead on 16 minutes when Arshavin failed to break after a quick throw from Lukasz Fabianski.

The ball was worked back up to David Fuster, with neither Johan Djourou nor Sebastien Squillaci able to cut out the Spaniard’s first-time pass. That released Rafik Djebbour into the left side of the Arsenal penalty box, where he rounded the keeper to slot in from a tight angle.

With the Gunners’ back line in disarray, Lukasz Fabianski injured his knee in a melee, and had to be carried off after 25 minutes, replaced by 23-year-old Italian Vito Mannone — whose last appearance was on loan at Hull in April.

It was Mannone’s blunder which handed Olympiakos a second on 36 minutes.

He had initially done well to head clear under pressure from Mirallas — only to then make a complete hash of attempting to scissor-kick the ball clear, thinking he was not yet back in the box, when it was returned over him by Fuster and bounced into the net.

Mannone made a good reaction save at the start of the second half, getting down quickly to block Francois Modesto’s far post shot, before former Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg hit the bar from a corner.

Arsenal pulled a goal back on 57 minutes when Ignasi Miquel, on for the injured Andre Santos, found Chamakh, who chested the ball down to Yossi Benayoun to lash home.

Mannone then almost hit the self-destruct button again as he failed to collect a loose ball when Thomas Vermaelen stood off — and somehow Modesto headed wide of an open goal from six yards.

Modesto slotted home with a minute left after Mellberg’s header hit the post.

Despite the gaffes, Wenger had words of support for his keepers.

“I think we didn’t help our goalkeepers,” he said. “We exposed them with our lack of quality in the passes we gave them and they were quite brave.”

OLYMPIAKOS: Megyeri, Torosidis, Papadopoulos, Mellberg, Marcano, Maniatis, David Fuster (Abdoun 64), Modesto, Mirallas, Djebbour (Papazoglou 90), Holebas (Orbaiz 37).

ARSENAL: Fabianski (Mannone 25), Djourou, Vermaelen, Squillaci, Andre Santos (Miquel 51), Coquelin (Rosicky 67), Frimpong, Benayoun, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chamakh, Arshavin.

Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain).