The Premiership champions and FA Cup winners beat Greek side Panathinaikos 1-0 in the first of the 45-minute matches courtesy of a Sylvain Wiltord header.

Arsenal, whose match against Rapid Vienna was abandoned last week due to crowd violence, won the Maurice Lacroix trophy with a 2-1 victory over Roma, who had also beaten the Greeks.

After Thierry Henry had put Arsenal in front, Gabriel Batistuta equalised for the Italians before 18-year-old Frenchman Jeremie Aliadiere sealed victory.

Goalkeeper Fabian Carini, Arsenal's loan signing from Juventus, did not play and the Gunners were also without their England quartet of David Seaman, Martin Keown, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, who continued to rest after their World Cup efforts.

However, new signing Gilberto Silva made his debut and the Brazilian World Cup winner impressed his new manager, Arsene Wenger, who was fulsome in his praise of the man snapped up from Atletico Mineiro for £5million.

Wenger said: 'I think he has shown he is a very good player and what I like was the fact that he kept things simple. He showed that he has good vision and it was a very interesting start for him.

'I think he can play all across the midfield but the holding role just in front of the defence is what he does best.'

Silva and his new team-mates have been tipped to collect even more silverware, namely the Champions League, in the coming season.