Arsenal Secures Narrow Win Against Napoli in Champions League

Arsenal kept their perfect start to the 2026-27 season alive with a gritty, narrow win in Naples, edging Napoli 1-0 in the Champions League thanks to a late strike from Martin Odegaard.

The captain decided it. With 15 minutes left and the game still goalless despite Arsenal’s dominance, Odegaard finally sliced through the tension, finishing a move that had been building all night as the visitors repeatedly pinned Napoli back.

Arsenal had spent most of the evening camped in Italian territory, carving out chance after chance. They controlled the tempo, passed with authority and regularly found gaps in a Napoli defence that refused to fold. What they didn’t do, for a long time, was finish.

The pattern became familiar. Arsenal broke lines, found runners, worked shooting positions. The final touch kept letting them down. Wasteful finishing turned what should have been a statement away win into a nervy, grinding contest, with Napoli always one counter-attack away from punishing them.

When Odegaard struck, it felt less like a moment of inspiration and more like overdue justice. The goal secured a fifth win from five to start the season, a flawless record that now stretches across domestic and European competition and loudly reinforces Arsenal’s status as serious contenders on this stage.

Mikel Arteta, though, was in no mood to gloss over the flaws. He praised the performance but made no secret of his irritation at the lack of ruthlessness.

“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 pushed the point again, stressing that Arsenal should never have left it so late.

“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.”

If his words sounded controlled, his touchline demeanour in the closing stages told a different story. As Napoli broke forward on a dangerous counter, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke and Christos Tzolis failed to sprint back into shape. Arteta exploded.

TNT Sports co-commentator Lucy Ward described him as “absolutely raging” as he watched the trio amble back, leaving their teammates exposed. It was a flash of anger that cut through the satisfaction of a big away victory and underlined the standards he expects from every attacker without the ball.

Arsenal left Italy with three points, a clean sheet and their perfect record intact. Arteta left with a win – and a reminder to his forwards that in Europe, you don’t just finish chances. You chase everything.