Europa League: 3 reasons why Arsenal won the game against Napoli

Modified Apr 11, 2019 21:23 GMT

Arsenal v S.S.C. Napoli - UEFA Europa League Quarter Final: First Leg

Arsenal wasted no time is getting their intent shown as they started attacking right from the minute the first whistle was blown. The Gunners had a few opportunities prior to Aaron Ramsey's opener which involved Alexandre Lacazette and Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the buildup. Ramsey's goal set the tone right for the match as his side continued to attack.

Soon after, Lucas Torreira created the second goal for the Gunners. His shot meant for the right corner of the goal deflected off Koulidao Koulibaly's foot and went past the keeper, Alex Meret.

Napoli gradually increased the pressure on Arsenal as both sides approached half-time. They started as the stronger side too after the break, with a strong desire to get an away goal. If not for Arsenal's tight and stable defence line, the visitors could have scored.

Of course, the job is far from done when one thinks about Arsenal's horrible away form. The Gunners could have scored more than just two goals. Anything could happen in Italy, but Arsenal are one foot into the semi-finals of the Europa League. Here are three reasons why the Gunners beat the visitors comfortably.

#3 Early goals from Arsenal

Early goals from Ramsey and a Koulibaly own goal put Napoli under a huge amount of pressure. Even after their two goals, Unai Emery's side had so many more chances to score but all were denied by Meret.

After not scoring in the weekend game against Everton, their sudden attacking spirit might have motivated everyone to get forward more often, limiting the chances that the Italian side has. The first-half display from Arsenal was a stark difference to how they performed at Goodison Park.

Surely on Napoli's day, they would have been able to overcome the deficit. At the same time, with Carlo Ancelotti's experience of guiding Bayern Munich to 5-1 victories in consecutive meetings, he would certainly have some tactics in mind against the Gunners. However, the Serie A side failed to capitalise on their chances.

#2 Sloppy Passing from Napoli

It really was not a match filled with accurate passing throughout the match. Both sides showed their lack of accuracy in passing, but the result for more detrimental for Ancelotti's side. The players lost the ball on too many occasions and allowed Torreira and Ramsey to intercept with ease. This lack of precision in passing affected Napoli's chances to attack and allowed Arsenal to turn around the direction of the game.

The home side was not particularly impressive with their passing either. Maitland-Niles, Lacazette and Mesut Ozil all lost the ball on multiple occasions. However, it was generally still better as compared to Napoli.

The midfield pairing of Ramsey and Torreira was simply overpowering that of Gli Azzurri and the Italian side was unable to cope with Arsenal's style of play. They repeatedly collected the loose balls from Napoli and frustrated their opponents.

#1 Defensive Stability

Considering the number of goals Arsenal have let in this season in all competitions, fans are really clueless when their side can keep a clean sheet. With the game played at the Emirates, the Gunners have only conceded just two goals at home in the Europa League thus far.

Koscielny led the defence line well and they utilised their mutual understanding to keep Lorenzo Insigne on multiple occasions. The captain also made a number of crucial interceptions to deny his opponents from getting an away goal and the Gunners were rewarded with a clean sheet going into the second-leg next week.

Arsenal will now have the away goal advantage should they be able to find the net in Italy. The English team have struggled to score while they travelled to other stadiums. When they played Bate Borisov in the Round of 32, the Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat. Similarly, against Rennes in the Round of 16, they scored just one goal in France and conceded three.

Edited by Sripad