Odegaard settled it in the 75th minute at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The Norway captain drove a low shot in off the post from the edge of the box after a 29-pass move, the second-longest build-up on record for an Arsenal goal in the Champions League.

Everything before it was near-misses. Mikel Merino was denied on a first-half header from a Bukayo Saka cross, Saka himself fired over from a Odegaard through-ball on the stroke of half-time, and Piero Hincapié blasted the bar from six yards after a Ben White cross early in the second half.

4.05 xG, one on the board

The numbers tell the story better than the scoreline. Arsenal registered 26 attempts, eight of them on target, worth 4.05 expected goals by the BBC’s count. It was the most shots the club has ever taken in a Champions League match.

Noni Madueke saw a late one-on-one saved. Kai Havertz had a goal chalked off for offside. Napoli, cornered for long stretches, mustered a Kevin De Bruyne opening in the 89th minute that he chose to cross rather than shoot.

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Odegaard’s finish was the difference, and it added to a strong personal start to the season: his fourth goal in five appearances for the Gunners.

Arteta: ‘It should have been much bigger’

Mikel Arteta was satisfied with the three points but sharp about the finishing.

“I think we fully deserve three points,” the Arsenal manager said.

“I think it should have been much bigger in a really tough environment, [against a] really tough opponent. I think the team was superb.”

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He returned to the missed openings when pressed on what pleased him about the display.

“The quality that we showed in a lot of moments to break them down, which is very difficult to do. It was a shame because we missed so many big chances.”

Arteta also noted that a range of players got into scoring positions: “It’s great that a lot of players, very different players, got in those situations. Any other day the result will be different.”

What Napoli had

The hosts started with Alex Meret in goal behind a back four of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Rafa Marín and Mathías Olivera, with André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka and De Bruyne in midfield, and Matteo Politano, Rasmus Højlund and Noa Lang in attack. They had spells of possession but rarely threatened David Raya.

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Arsenal are chasing a first European title after finishing as runners-up in the competition last season. Their next league-phase fixture follows before they return to Premier League action.

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