Ødegaard's missile wins a tense opener in Naples
Napoli 0–1 Arsenal. Martin Ødegaard struck in the 75th minute, a shot from range that settled a night where Arsenal had 26 attempts and deserved far more (1)(10)(11). The captain now has goals in back-to-back games, and Arteta called the contribution "decisive" (1).
Arteta: "the team was superb"
"Fully deserved three points. The performance probably doesn't reflect the result; the team was superb," Arteta said (11). Arsenal hit the post through Mikel Merino and had Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke dangerous all night against a deep Napoli block (3)(11).
Rice: "incredible" 29-pass goal in the heat
Declan Rice was blunt about the conditions and the quality. Playing through a Naples heatwave, he praised the fluidity and mental strength on show, singling out a 29-pass move he called "incredible" (6). The win is Arsenal's 13th straight Champions League group stage victory.
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Højlund: "Arsenal are another level"
Napoli's Rasmus Højlund did not hide it. "We did well, but Arsenal are probably just another level than us," he said after the defeat (5). Napoli have now lost three in a row, and the Italian press spent the night on the same theme: Arsenal are a different class (7).
Allegri blames a lack of bench depth
Napoli coach Max Allegri admitted the gap showed when Arteta sent on Bruno Guimaraes and Havertz. "Arteta has many at his disposal, Allegri none," Corriere dello Sport wrote, pointing to a depleted Napoli squad (8)(9). Allegri himself saw a balanced first half before Arsenal raised the tempo: "They raised the rhythm in the second half" (10).
Sunderland away on Saturday
Arsenal sit second, nine points from three league games. Next up: Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday (Sep 12, 21:00 CEST). Then Brighton away the following Saturday.
Fan-reaktioner
The mood on r/Gunners is giddy, and the running joke is simple: "One nil to the Arsenal." Fans are sharing the old chant video, celebrating Ødegaard's scoring run, and buzzing about Christos Tzolis, whose four assists in five appearances have noticed. Join the chant here.
