Arsenal cruised to their 10th consecutive win of the season this evening with a breathtaking 2-0 win over Napoli at the Emirates.
The Gunners started the match very brightly and took the lead after just eight minutes when Mesut Ozil produced a stunning finish from the edge of the box having been found by Aaron Ramsey's pass.
Olivier Giroud added a second seven minutes later when Ozil stole in behind the defence before pulling the ball back to the striker to finish from close range.
Arsenal couldn't add to their tally but never looked in danger of letting their lead slip as they took control of Group F.
Here, Sports Mole takes a detailed look at what was a memorable night for Arsene Wenger 17 years to the day since he joined Arsenal.
Match statistics:
Arsenal:
Shots 9
On target 4
Possession 63%
Corners 6
Fouls 16
Napoli:
Shots 13
On target 1
Possession 37%
Corners 3
Fouls 17
Was the result fair?
Absolutely. In fact, Arsenal probably deserved to win by more. They started so brightly and Napoli were simply unable to deal with them in the early stages. They completely dominated the first half and quietly controlled the second as well, limiting Napoli to long range shots throughout. Rafael Benitez may point to the fact that both goals had a hint of a defensive error about them, but he couldn't deny that the Gunners were the better team by some distance tonight. A thoroughly deserved victory.
Arsenal's performance
Just scintillating. The Gunners were irresistible at times and played at a tempo that Napoli had no answer to. Their midfield - particularly Ramsey and Ozil -were untouchable at times and that was the basis for their victory. Wenger won't have seen too many better first-half performances than that during his 17 years at the helm, and they certainly sent a message out to the rest of Europe that they can still compete with the elite. They looked dangerous every time they went forward and never looked like conceding throughout. Arsenal have been steadily improving over recent weeks but if they are able to improve on tonight's performance then title talk may not be premature after all.
Napoli's performance
Very disappointing. They came to the Emirates as one of few teams that could match Arsenal's recent form, but they were simply blown away early on. The loss of Gonzalo Higuain to injure didn't help them, but not even he would have been able to do anything about the result today. Napoli were overrun in midfield, looked shaky at the back and didn't create anything up front. Credit must be given to Arsenal for their performance, but Napoli certainly made it easier for them with a poor display of their own. They didn't even seem too keen to overturn the deficit late on and looked to have settled for a 2-0 defeat. Benitez will bemoan defensive errors for both goals, but they simply weren't at the races today.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Mesut Ozil: It was between Ozil and Ramsey, but the German gets the nod if only for his sumptuous finish for the first goal. The duo ran the game and Ozil really showed by he is such a world-class player by performing brilliantly on a world-class stage. In addition to his goal he picked up an assist and was just a joy to watch throughout. If he keeps on putting performances like that in, he will repay his hefty transfer fee in no time.
Biggest gaffe
For all Arsenal played some lovely football, had Napoli defended half as well as they can do then it may have been a completely different game. The biggest gaffe came in the build-up to the second goal when a failed clearance from a Napoli defender hit his own man, allowing the ball to fall to Giroud who gave it to Ozil. The German then went on to set up the French striker, who made it 2-0 from close range.
Referee performance
Despite the relatively high foul count, Milorad Mazic didn't have an awful lot to do tonight. He made a few decision that would have been questioned had he been in the Premier League, but the Champions League is generally considered to have slightly different ideals than the English game. He had no major decisions and, for the most part, could just sit back and enjoy the show that Arsenal put on.
What next?
Arsenal: Arsenal will look to make it 11 wins on the trot when they travel to the Hawthorns to face West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Napoli: Napoli, meanwhile, will be looking to get back to winning ways when they host Livorno in Serie A, also on Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
