Martin Odegaard's superb strike gave Arsenal a deserved 1-0 victory over Napoli in their Champions League opener.
The Gunners should have won by a bigger margin but missed a succession of chances before Odegaard crashed a low shot in off the post from the edge of the box following intricate build-up.
The goal, Odegaard's fourth in five games this season, ensured a winning start for last season's runners-up in this competition but wasteful finishing made it harder than it should have been.
Arsenal had 26 shots worth 4.05 expected goals, both their highest totals on record in a Champions League game, but Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka spurned their best chances of the first half before Piero Hincapie blazed over from close range in the second.
Odegaard's strike, fired in following a quick one-two with substitute Christos Tzolis, broke the deadlock but Noni Madueke, another substitute, missed a one-on-one chance, after which Tzolis's follow-up was blocked on the line, leaving Arsenal to suffer a late scare.
Former Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne appeared well placed to equalise when put through for a rare Napoli chance in the final few minutes, but wasted the opening by opting to cross, ensuring Arsenal could celebrate a victorious start to their European campaign and a fifth straight win in all competitions.
Analysis by Your Site' Nick Wright:
Odegaard is a player in form. That much was clear from early in this game. The Arsenal captain oozed class and confidence, demanding the ball then finding the gaps in Napoli's defence and threading passes forward. Everything went through him.
His goal, brilliantly taken from the edge of the box after a 29-pass build-up, proved crucial. He now has four in five games this season, a stunning turnaround having only managed one in 36 last term. Odegaard, uninhibited by injuries, looks a different player.
But showing his team-mates how to finish was only one part of his performance. He also ended the game having had more touches, made more passes and created more chances than anyone else on the pitch. Napoli couldn't really get near him.
The scooped pass to release Ben White for the golden chance somehow spurned by Piero Hincapie was one of many examples of his ingenuity against the massed ranks of Napoli players but there were plenty of others. He played with freedom and flair.
"Martin is contributing goals," said Mikel Arteta after the game. "That is obviously impacting results which is what we want from our attacking players, to be decisive, and certainly he was that today." Arsenal continue to feel the benefits.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to TNT Sports:
"Fully deserved for the three points.
"I don't know the amount of chances and situations we generated but the performance doesn't reflect the result. It should have been much bigger - in a really tough environment, a really tough opponent. I think the team was superb.
"The way we competed, attitude, courage, the way we imposed ourselves on the game, the quality we showed to break them down, which is very difficult to do. It was a shame because we missed so many big chances.
"That's great that a lot of very different players got in those situations. Any other day the result [score] would be different."
