Martin Odegaard’s 75th-minute strike gave Arsenal a 1-0 win at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday, and it took the kind of moment Allegri had been warning about on the eve of the game to break Napoli down.

The Napoli head coach had used his pre-match press conference to name exactly the trait he feared most about the Premier League champions, and it was not their attacking talent.

“He did well to sort out their defence, as Arsenal concede very few goals, and they work together as a team. It’s their greatest strength,” Allegri told reporters on the eve of the game.

The verdict carries weight coming from a manager with five Serie A titles and two Champions League finals on his record. Allegri also had no doubt about the standing of the opponent Napoli were about to meet.

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“Arsenal are the Champions League finalists and won the Premier League. Mikel Arteta has done an extraordinary job in the last four years.”

Asked directly about the balance of the tie, Allegri was blunt.

“Every game starts at 0-0, but clearly Arsenal are favourites.”

Odegaard delivers the moment Allegri feared

Arsenal produced 26 shots on the night, the most they have on record in a Champions League match, before Odegaard finally broke through with a low finish that went in off the post at the end of a 29-pass move. Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino and Piero Hincapie all wasted earlier chances.

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Arteta was pleased with the win but not the margin.

“Fully deserved for the three points. The performance doesn’t reflect the result. It should have been much bigger,” the Arsenal manager said afterwards.

The clean sheet extended a defensive record that has become Arsenal’s calling card under Arteta, the record their reputation is built on domestically and the one Allegri had gone out of his way to praise.

Allegri finds progress in Napoli’s defeat

For all the frustration of a third straight loss, Allegri saw signs of improvement in his own team. Napoli had gone into the game after Serie A defeats to Como and Inter, and the coach felt the shape held better this time.

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“Arsenal needed an extraordinary moment of quality to score against us,” he said post-match.

“Arsenal are an extraordinary side, but the sacrifice and patience of sitting back and not conceding was a positive.”

Napoli return to Serie A action at home to Bologna, with Allegri under pressure to arrest the slide before the international break.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have opened their Champions League league phase with a win as one of the pre-tournament favourites, still chasing the European trophy that eluded them in May’s final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.

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