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Arsenal had issued a warning in Naples to their own fans before kick-off, ‘strongly’ advising them not to wear club shirts or scarves, or use public transport to avoid being targeted by Napoli ultras.
That was their biggest statement of the day – before Martin Odegaard, the man whose previous season was tarnished by injury and form, decided to step up and put Napoli to the curb.
As Christos Tzolis’ pass reached the Norwegian just outside the area, his eyes lit up, driving forward on that wand of a left foot.
Once he saw a gap, the captain curled the ball with pace and precision into the bottom left-corner to get Arsenal’s Champions League campaign off to a winning start.
It’s now four goals in five matches for a man who has entered this campaign on a mission to prove himself at the top table of elite midfielders.
Runners up in both 2006 and 2026 – either side of a crushing Europa League final loss to Chelsea under Unai Emery – the Champions League remains Arsenal’s last frontier.
Martin Odegaard score the only goal as last year's runners-up Arsenal began their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win over Napoli
Odegaard scored a stunning effort from outside the area to break the deadlock in Naples
It’s a trophy Arteta has neither won as a player or a manager, and a marked absence in the club’s 140-year history.
A night in Naples in September doesn’t dictate where the trophy will lie, but builds momentum and helps bypass the dreaded play-off round. They ought to use this result as a lesson going forward. Domination in possession and chances means little without end product.
By the 50-minute mark, Arsenal had the opposition camped around their own box, hoping for the pressure to relent.
They struggled to get out. On the rare occasion Napoli did, their attacks would be largely snuffed out.
Luckily for them, the Gunners didn’t come bearing an arsenal full of their most prolific weapons – until Odegaard’s intervention.
Viktor Gyokeres was given a rare start in place of Kai Havertz, using his physicality to hold up the ball. There was the odd moment of brilliance, such as an instep cross which Bukayo Saka tried meeting with a scissor-kick.
Though a theme of wastefulness and poor clinical edge ran through Arteta’s side. Chance after chance would arrive, the ball either ending up in substitute goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic’s grasp or well beyond the goalframe.
Arteta at least showed learnings from the previous campaign, making four changes to the side which beat Chelsea on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta's side dominated the game but were made to wait for their opening goal
Bukayo Saka blazed over from close range in Arsenal's best chance of the first half
They included starts for Piero Hincapie, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Gyokeres.
More broadly, Arsenal last season had four outfield players on above 4,200 club minutes, including Declan Rice (4,454), Martin Zubimendi (4,298), William Saliba (4,254) and Gabriel (4,210).
These changes were a step in the right direction, the level of excessive workload already being acted upon.
Napoli were without Scott McTominay, who underwent heart surgery earlier this week to treat an irregular heartbeat.
Along with the injured Andre-Frank Anguissa, it left the Napoli midfield exposed and leaning on Kevin De Bruyne, local radio stations warning throughout the afternoon of how their team needed the 35-year-old to step up.
MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS
NAPOLI (4-3-3): Meret 6.5 (Milinkovic-Savic 46mins, 6.5); Di Lorenzo 6.5, Rrahmani 6.5, Marin 6.5, Olivera 6.5; Gilmour 6, Lobotka 6, De Bruyne 6.5; Politano 6 (Favasuli 58, 6), Hojlund 5, Alisson Santos 5 (Vergara 58, 6).
Manager: Massimiliano Allegri 6.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Raya 6; White 6.5, Konsa 6.5, Gabriel 6.5, Hincapie 6; Rice 7.5, Merino 6.5 (Guimaraes 66, 6); Saka 6, Odegaard 8, Eze 6 (Tzolis 66, 6.5); Gyokeres 5.5.
Goals: Odegaard
Manager: Mikel Arteta 6.5.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg 6.5.
He had yet to start for the Italian side this season, a narrative that De Bruyne’s influence is no longer there; a distant memory even. So he had some task on his hands – and certainly tried to take down his old nemesis from those golden days at Manchester City, where Arsenal often trailed in their wake.
Saka’s looping cross to the back post reached Eberechi Eze, who nodded the ball to Mikel Merino. His resulting header, with plenty of neck swivel, was palmed over by Alex Meret.
Before the first half ended, Odegaard played Saka through, the winger hoofing the ball when one-v-one with the keeper.
It was ruled offside anyway, but still a golden chance.
The triumvirate of Saka, Odegaard and Ben White were in sync, quick passes constantly exchanged which caused the opposition backline many a problem and left Saka the avenues to get forward.
Chances were not the problem, finishing the big obstacle for Arsenal.
Piero Hincapie ought to have put Arsenal ahead five minutes after the break. Odegaard’s clever looping chip found White, his header teeing up Hincapie’s wild blaze over the bar while ahead of the penalty spot.
Arteta turned to Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes after 66 minutes and that soon turned the game.
