Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Napoli: Odegaard Rescues Profligate Gunners

Arsenal’s journey to Madrid started with a 1–0 victory over Napoli on Wednesday, as captain Martin Ødegaard bailed a profligate Gunners out at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Arsenal’s progress has been linear in this competition ever since they returned to Europe’s top table in 2023. Having claimed Premier League glory last season, Mikel Arteta’s side are desperate to topple the continent, and this performance, while wasteful, was one of great assurance.

The Gunners asserted total control from the outset, with Napoli’s attacking moments dwindling in frequency as the contest wore on. Massimiliano Allegri’s side were only occasionally able to break Arsenal’s suffocation and breach enemy territory, but David Raya had another quiet outing between the posts.

And while it took the visitors 75 minutes to break the deadlock, their ability to relentlessly sustain pressure rendered a winning moment inevitable. It was the in-form skipper, Ødegaard, who supplied a clinical touch, crashing an effort off the inside of the post from just inside the Napoli box.

While Napoli crafted one huge moment late in the day, anything but an Arsenal victory would’ve been unjust. Mikel Arteta knows just how important a strong league phase performance is, and a tough slate of fixtures means three points were imperative here.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Arsenal must’ve thought they’d escaped the boogeyman. A collective sigh of relief was breathed across North London when Kevin De Bruyne opted for pastures new in 2025, swapping murky Manchester for the San Marzano-rich Campania.

The Belgian didn’t particularly enjoy an injury-hit debut season under Antonio Conte in Naples, and before Wednesday’s match, had appeared three times off the bench to begin Napoli’s 2026–27 campaign.

Gazzetta dello Sport discussed Allegri’s task of "restoring his champion to greatness" ahead of Arsenal’s visit, and the wily Italian manager may well have deemed the Gunners De Bruyne’s ideal opposition to ignite his sophomore year at the Maradona.

The 35-year-old has scored more goals against the Premier League champions (eight) than any other in his career. Arsenal supporters were subject to regular torment when De Bruyne donned sky blue, but did they have any reason to fear this iteration of the Belgian?

Well, there were early remnants of the De Bruyne of yesteryear. A fearsome strike tested Raya from range, and he ought to have got Eberechi Eze booked after driving away on the half-turn. But the veteran playmaker quickly faded.

The second-half was a tough watch. His powers seeping away, De Bruyne could no longer streak clear of recovering defenders, or even execute the simplest of actions. A pass out to the right just after the hour that hopelessly sailed over Matteo Politano depicted the Belgian’s drift in influence.

Instead, another playmaker stole the show.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Napoli (4-2-3-1)

Martin Ødegaard — Arsenal’s captain probed all night. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: David Raya—7.4: Raya was sporadically tested, and the Spaniard was positioned excellently to deal with Napoli’s crosses and shots from range.

RB: Ben White—7.7: White coped well with the sprightly Alisson Santos, who bypassed the English defender only once or twice. Always a threat on the overlap.

CB: Ezri Konsa—7.6: The summer arrival has slotted in seamlessly into Arsenal’s defense. Konsa was seldom flustered here.

CB: Gabriel—7.8: It was a good battle with former Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund, who’s certainly improved at playing with his back to goal in Italy. Still, Gabriel got the better of Napoli’s center forward.

LB: Piero Hincapié—7.3: Arsenal created plenty in Naples, and Hincapié was among those guilty of missing a big chance. The Gunners do lack a bit of attacking balance and variety when Riccardo Calafiori isn’t on the field.

CM: Declan Rice—7.4: Rice looked leggy on occasions in defensive transition and wasn’t overly impactful in and around the box. This was a steady performance from the midfielder.

CM: Mikel Merino—7.2: We haven’t seen Merino occupy a deeper midfield role in a while, and he spent much of the contest trying to break into the box. The Spaniard, usually so clinical, was headed a gilt-edged chance at Alex Meret in the first half.

RW: Bukayo Saka—7.4: This wasn’t Saka’s night. Sure, the threat was constant, but the winger was ever so rash with the all-important final action.

AM: Martin Ødegaard—9.0: He’d probed for more than 70 minutes, then decided to take matters into his own hands. Ødegaard fired Arsenal into a deserved lead with 15 to play and was the heartbeat of the Gunners’ performance in Naples.

LW: Eberechi Eze—6.8: With Arsenal right-sided dominant again, we didn’t see all that much of Eze. The Englishman snatched at the opportunities that came his way.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—7.1: On a night when Arsenal created so much, Gyökeres curiously didn’t have a sniff of Napoli’s goal. For supposedly a top-level center forward, his box instincts and movement leave plenty to be desired.

SUB: Bruno Guimarães (66’ for Merino)—6.6: Helps Arsenal unlock the center of the pitch.

SUB: Christos Tzolis (66’ for Eze)—7.3: Another assist for Tzolis, this time off the bench. The man is inevitable.

SUB: Kai Havertz (73’ for Gyökeres)—6.3: Didn’t see all that much from Havertz, but slid Noni Madueke away in transition for what should’ve been a second goal.

SUB: Martín Zubimendi (82’ for White)—N/A

SUB: Noni Madueke (82’ for Saka)—6.7: Missed a one-on-one off the bench.

Subs not used: Illan Meslier (GK), Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Marli Salmon, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Riccardo Calafiori, Max Dowman.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Viktor Gyökeres — Gyökeres made his first start of the season. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Arsenal’s 2025 summer window isn’t ageing particularly well, despite their title triumph last season. Eberechi Eze continues to look shoehorned and generally uncomfortable down the left flank, while Arsenal operate with considerably less harmony when Kai Havertz isn’t in the team. Viktor Gyökeres is a flat-track bully whom Arteta is merely putting up with. As for Martín Zubimendi, well, what happened to him? Reduced to cameos, it’d seem. He’s Arteta’s Jorginho of 2023–24.
The absence of William Saliba hasn’t allowed Arsenal’s stout level to diminish. First Cristhian Mosquera, now Ezri Konsa. The newbie looks like he’s partnered Gabriel for a decade, with the Arsenal pair doing an excellent job of limiting Napoli’s threat in transition.
Martin Ødegaard’s stellar start to the season continued. Arsenal’s match-winner was unrelenting in his quest to compromise Napoli’s resilience, and not everything he tried came off. Occasionally, he was defied. However, Ødegaard delivered the moment himself, striking fiercely from the edge of the box. He’s regained his confidence in front of goal and looks determined to spearhead Arsenal’s bid to conquer the continent.

The Numbers That Explain Arsenal’s Patient Victory

Arsenal were dominant in the first half, but were profligate in front of goal. The visitors racked up 1.82 xG and limited the hosts to just 0.15.
This was a woeful xG underperformance from the visitors, but it ultimately didn’t cost them. They crafted 4.05 xG in total and missed all six of the big chances they made.
Napoli were quieter in attack after the restart, creating just 0.07 xG in the second half.

Statistic	Napoli	Arsenal
Possession	42%	58%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.22	4.05
Total Shots	5	26
Shots on Target	3	8
Big Chances	0	6
Pass Accuracy	86%	92%
Fouls Committed	12	11
Corners	0	6

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