Captain Martin Odegaard scored the winning goal as Arsenal secured a 1-0 Champions League victory away to Napoli on Tuesday night. The Norwegian midfielder struck in the 75th minute to give Mikel Arteta's side a perfect start to their European campaign.
Arsenal's performance was dominant, setting a new club record for shots taken away from home in the Champions League with 26 attempts. Despite the narrow scoreline, manager Mikel Arteta felt the result did not fully reflect the quality of his team's display. He stated that Arsenal needed to be more precise to achieve a larger margin of victory. The win comes as Arsenal sit second in the Premier League with nine points from three wins, having scored six goals and conceded just one. Key defenders William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera are currently sidelined.
Martin Odegaard's match-winning contribution in Naples is part of an outstanding personal run. He has now scored four goals in five games across all competitions in the 2026-27 season. This follows a difficult previous campaign where he managed just one goal in 36 appearances. His recent form includes back-to-back winning goals against Chelsea in the league and now Napoli in Europe. Arteta was full of praise for his captain's availability and mindset. "First of all, he needs to be available, and last year he missed so many games through injuries," Arteta said.
The victory continues a strong start to the season for Arsenal, who won the Community Shield in August and have a 100% record in the Premier League. Their next challenge is a trip to face Sunderland, who are 12th in the table, on September 12. Fans can view the full fixtures schedule for the coming weeks. For Napoli, the defeat was a third consecutive loss in all competitions, having previously suffered Serie A defeats to Como and Inter Milan. Head coach Massimiliano Allegri noted his side lacked legs in the second half and defended poorly at times. He also mentioned that Billy Gilmour and Kevin de Bruyne were playing their first games for the Italian club.
Massimiliano Allegri acknowledged his team is in a difficult period and stressed the importance of their next league match. "To get back on track, we need a solid win against Bologna, which won’t be easy," Allegri said. Napoli will host Bologna on September 13 as they seek to end their losing run. The club was also without injured players Scott McTominay and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa for the match against Arsenal. The Gunners, meanwhile, will look to maintain their momentum with a squad performing well, details of which are available in the squad section. Arsenal's next fixture is an away match at Sunderland on September 12.
Arsenal's 26 shots against Napoli was their highest total on record in a Champions League match. The Gunners also registered 4.05 expected goals, another record high for the club in the competition. Mikel Arteta said the performance 'should have been much bigger' for the scoreline. The win is Arsenal's fifth straight victory in all competitions this season. They remain second in the Premier League with nine points from three wins and face Sunderland away next.
Arsenal's match-winning goal against Napoli came after a 29-pass build-up. This was their second-longest recorded build-up for a Champions League goal. The Gunners, who are second in the Premier League with nine points from three wins, secured a fifth straight victory in all competitions. They next face Sunderland away on September 12.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta rested almost half of his first-choice outfield players for the Champions League win over Napoli. He had been expected to start Noni Madueke, but Bukayo Saka played instead. Declan Rice played partly because Bruno Guimaraes' ankle injury persists. Arsenal, second in the Premier League with nine points, next face Sunderland away on September 12.
