adminLONDON. — Arsenal’s impressive start to their Champions League campaign continued as Mesut Ozil inspired them to victory over Rafael Benitez’s Napoli at Emirates Stadium.
The £42m deadline day signing from Real Madrid scored his first goal for Arsenal with a brilliant finish, and then set up a second for Olivier Giroud as this Group F meeting was effectively decided within the first 15 minutes.
Arsenal’s domination ensured the rest of the game was little more than a formality as Napoli, riding high in Serie A, never threatened to upset the optimism that has swept around Arsenal and also taken them to the top of the Premier League.
At the heart of it all was Ozil, the German combining natural grace with deadly contributions that proved too much for Napoli, who had proved their own pedigree by beating last season’s Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund in their opening group game.
Arsenal produced the perfect follow-up performance to their win in Marseille and they now head a group that looked littered with hazards when the draw was made.
In the night’s other game, Dortmund beat Marseille 3-0 to join Napoli on three points.
In Ozil, Arsenal have acquired a game-changing talent whose presence and quality has lifted the levels and confidence of his colleagues.
Aaron Ramsey also produced another highly-accomplished performance, setting up Ozil’s goal and continuing the outstanding form that has been a hallmark of Arsenal’s opening to the season.
As manager Arsene Wenger’s name rang around The Emirates in the closing moments, the acrimony that followed the opening day home defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League seemed an age away. This is now a buoyant club.
The midfield strength that is currently on offer to Wenger was illustrated by the fact that, even with Santi Cazorla injured, he had enough at his disposal to relegate Jack Wilshere to the bench.
It left Ozil and Ramsey to carry the weight of creative responsibility – and they did it brilliantly as Arsenal took a measure of control from the first whistle that they never looked like relinquishing.
Ozil has swiftly become the darling of Arsenal’s support and it was easy to see why as he was the central figure in the opening phase that settled the game.
Arsenal’s opening goal after eight minutes was a thing of beauty, the sort of goal that adds an extra layer of pleasure for the purist Wenger.
Giroud released Ramsey with a subtle flick and when his cross picked out Ozil he completed a difficult finish with the deceptive ease of a world-class player, sidefooting superbly past Napoli keeper Pepe Reina with his left foot.
Ozil was the creator seven minutes later as he ran into the area before a deft flick of his left foot gave Giroud the opportunity for a simple finish.
Benitez has made his reputation with his expertise in the Champions League but Napoli, especially without the injured former Arsenal transfer target Gonzalo Higuain, were unable to make any impact in attack and found the Gunners’ pace and passing too much for their defence.
Former Liverpool keeper Reina could not be blamed for either goal and he was in action to prevent a third goal for Arsenal with 14 minutes left, blocking from Laurent Koscielny from close range after Mikel Arteta had flicked on.
All that was left was for Arsenal to close out another important Champions League victory, which the did without alarms.
Meanwhile, Ramires scored twice as Chelsea recorded their first points of this season’s Champions League group stage with 4-0 victory over Steaua Bucharest.
The Brazil midfielder opened the scoring when he poked in after initial good wing-play from Andre Schurrle.
Daniel Georgievski then found his own net after Samuel Eto’o’s shot was parried into his path before Ramires fired in the third after the break.
Frank Lampard slotted in the fourth in stoppage time.
Meanwhile, Barcelona avenged last season’s defeat in Glasgow, but the narrow win came in controversial circumstances.
Cesc Fabregas was the match-winner, heading an Alexis Sanchez cross past Fraser Forster.
The breakthrough for the Catalans only arrived after the Celtic captain Scott Brown had been sent off for a seemingly innocuous clash with Neymar.
But the Brazilian’s reaction perhaps clouded Stephane Lannoy’s judgement as he reduced the hosts to ten men.
It was only Celtic’s second ever home defeat in the group stage of the Champions League, the first also having come at the hands of Barcelona in 2004.
Their victory may well have come regardless of Brown’s dismissal, but it is tainted by the nature of the sending-off.
As Neymar sped down the left, he was impeded by the Celtic captain, but the Brazilian’s histrionics – writhing in apparent agony – duped the referee.
At worst, Brown seemed to have needlessly flailed a foot that caught Neymar on the arm, but the French official felt it was worthy of a straight red card and off went Brown.
Celtic captain Scott Brown receives a straight red card after tripping Barcelona’s Neymar
Celtic captain Scott Brown receives a straight red card after tripping Barcelona’s Neymar
Celtic’s sense of injustice would scarcely have been diminished by Neymar’s part in the winning goal.
He picked the ball up in space, deep in home territory, spun and fed Alexis, whose perfect cross was headed back across Forster by Fabregas and into the net.
Few inside Celtic Park would have grudged the visitors that lead had it come before the game took that ugly turn, but as it was, it was greeted with rancour.
What was all the more galling for the home fans was that it came just minutes after they had seen Victor Valdes pull off the save of the match to keep out a blistering effort from substitute James Forrest, with Charlie Mulgrew heading narrowly wide from the resultant corner.
There was some solace for the home support as Forster brilliantly denied Neymar a goal on two occasions in the closing minutes.
Remarkably, it had taken until the stroke of half-time for Barcelona – missing the talismanic Lionel Messi – to force a save from Forster.
The goalkeeper on that occasion pushed a Xavi free kick away for a corner, but until then the protection offered to him by his team-mates had been absolute.
In the face of relentless Barca probing, the back four and the four in front of them stood firm as, with monotonous regularity, the visitors passed their way to the edge of the Celtic penalty area only to find it largely impenetrable.
That led them to try their luck from further out, but first Neymar dragged a shot wide after dancing his way in from his left-wing beat and then the magical Andres Iniesta sold Mulgrew an outrageous dummy but blasted off-target.
Forster would have struggled to reach Neymar’s deft re-directing of a Dani Alves cross, but happily for the keeper it spun outside the post as he sprawled to his left.
Unlike last year’s astounding 2-1 home win, however, there was to be no fairytale ending for Celtic, as gallantly as they fought.
Online Reporter