Arsenal Maintains Perfect Start with Narrow Win Over Napoli
Arsenal kept their perfect start to the 2026-27 season alive with a narrow, nervy, and utterly deserved 1-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League – a scoreline that flattered only the hosts.
Martin Odegaard, the calmest man in a boiling cauldron, finally settled it on 75 minutes. One clean strike, one ruthless moment, after an evening in which Arsenal did almost everything but score.
Odegaard delivers after wave after wave
From the first whistle, Arsenal played like a side that knows exactly what it wants from this competition. They pressed high, pinned Napoli back, and carved them open often enough to have buried the tie long before Odegaard’s winner.
Chance after chance came and went. The Gunners’ movement dragged Napoli’s back line all over the pitch, their passing repeatedly slicing through a defence that spent most of the night hanging on. The visitors dictated the tempo, controlled the spaces, and kept Napoli’s attacking threats at arm’s length.
Yet the ball refused to go in. Poor finishing, a lack of composure at key moments, and a stubborn home rearguard turned what should have been a comfortable away statement into a grind.
The pressure finally told. With 15 minutes left, Odegaard stepped up, his timing and technique matching the occasion. The captain’s goal broke the deadlock and, in truth, restored a sense of justice to the scoreline.
Five games played this season. Five wins. Arsenal are not just ticking along; they are building a European case.
Arteta delighted – and furious
The result was everything. The performance, in Mikel Arteta’s eyes, should have delivered much more on the scoreboard.
"We fully deserved the three points," he told TNT Sports. "The performance probably doesn’t reflect the result, the team was superb. We showed quality in a lot of moments to break them down and it was a shame because we missed so many great chances."
He did not soften the message.
"On any other day the result would be different. We should have done it in a different way because of the amount of chances we created but we got the win in the end."
That mix of satisfaction and irritation summed up the night. Arsenal were superior in almost every department, yet left the door ajar until the final whistle. For a coach obsessed with control, that matters.
And his composure snapped late on.
With Arsenal protecting their slender lead, Napoli sprang forward on a dangerous counter-attack. Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, and Christos Tzolis were slow to react, jogging back as the move developed. On the touchline, Arteta exploded.
According to TNT Sports co-commentator Lucy Ward, the Arsenal manager was "absolutely raging" as the trio failed to recover. It was a glimpse of the standards he now demands from every player in every phase, even on a night when his side had dominated.
Statement made, standards set
This was not a free-flowing rout or a glossy highlight reel. It was something more serious: an away win in Italy, earned the hard way, with chances squandered but resolve intact.
Arsenal walk away with three points, a perfect record to start the season, and a reminder that in Europe, dominance must be matched by ruthlessness. Arteta will enjoy the win.
He will remember the missed chances – and that late, lazy jog – just as clearly.
