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Key events
73 min: Gyökeres and Saka, who have both been ineffective this evening, make way for Madueke and Havertz.
72 min: This game has become scrappy, and it’s probably doing Napoli more of a favour.
70 min: Tzolis meets a ball dropping towards the Napoli penalty spot … and nearly launches his shot into orbit. In terms of slapstick and comedic timing, it was almost perfect. In footballing terms, not so much.
68 min: The pace drops. It is warm in Naples after all, 27 degrees centigrade at kick-off according to Uefa’s official thermometer.
66 min: A double change for Arsenal as Merino and Eze make way for Guimarães and Tzolis.
65 min: De Bruyne, under no pressure, butchers a simple pass meant for Lobotka, in acres on the right flank. The crowd groan as the ball sails into the stand. The veteran midfielder has had a bit of a shocker so far.
63 min: Rice makes himself a little bit of time and space to the right of the Napoli D, then lashes a wild shot high and well wide right.
62 min: Hojlund strides down the left but can’t get past Gabriel as he reaches the edge of the box. His shot is deflected, and De Bryune chases after the loose ball, but he doesn’t have the legs to get past Hincapie.
61 min: Vergara also wastes little time in getting involved … but upon tearing down the left, he ruins it all by yanking a dismal cross straight into the arms of Raya.
60 min: The newly arrived Favasuli comes sliding in on Merino at 101 miles per hour. He times his tackle perfectly – just – and the crowd enjoyed that very much. A nanosecond one way or the other, though, and the Napoli sub would have been in a world of bother. He was fully committed, put it that way.
58 min: Santos left White in the dust there, such a cheeky and skilful run, but looks to have injured himself in the process. He departs, along with Politano, the pair replaced by Favasuli and Vergara.
56 min: Santos knocks the ball past White down the left and rounds the defender, then tears away. Lovely play. He shuttles the ball infield for De Bruyne, who looks for Hojlund but his radar is wonky. That’s not his first misplaced pass of the evening, and the home crowd aren’t 100 percent happy with him.
55 min: Rice clumsily clanks into Santos, and pressure that had been building for several minutes is suddenly released. Napoli so grateful for the breather.
53 min: Arsenal are pushing Napoli back. The hosts can’t get out. There’s no option for them other than long to Hojlund. The nearly-all-reds well on top.
52 min: Odegaard, dictating the tempo now from a deep position, loops another pass into the Napoli box. Again for White, but this time down the left, and not so elegant as before. Goal kick.
50 min: Odegaard suddenly springs into action, elegantly wedging a pass down the inside-right channel and into the box for White, who heads across the face of goal. Hincapie should ram home from close range, but somehow manages to leather the ball over the bar. Not for the first time tonight we say: Arsenal should be leading.
49 min: To a chorus of impatient whistling, Arsenal stroke the ball around, this way and that, 30 yards from the Napoli goal. There’s no way through the defence.
47 min: Milinković-Savić has got the mother of all hipster’s beards. He looks like he should be behind the counter at a record store, or running a micro-brewery. While he finds his feet at one end of the park, Napoli make good down the other, and Gilmour takes a whack from distance. Easy for Raya.
Napoli get the second half started. Milinković-Savić has replaced Meret in their goal. “As Big Ron used to say, ‘If you look good, you play good’,” begins Alan Baverstock. “Well, Arsenal are looking crap in all red with white sleeves once again, as anyone would, so don’t expect too much. So close, yet so far from Bill Shankly’s switch to all red at Liverpool: ‘The players looked like giants,’ he said, ‘And we played like giants.’”
Half-time fag break postbag … which for some reason is tobacco-infused.
“Well, sir, can they boogie without the Great Scott? Presumably Mr McT is in the stand somewhere, a crafty fag on the go, cupped between thumb and index finger and held behind the back, just in case the cameras spot him” – Justin Kavanagh
“Just checking: Gyökeres is still there, right? He hasn’t gone for a lie down or some mid-half snus?” – Adam Walker
“I understand that winning games builds psychological momentum, but I feel that Arteta could use some of these essentially meaningless league phase matches to give his most overworked players the night off. Does Rice need to be on the field? Yeah, if you want to maximise your chances of winning this game. But given how exhausted he looked at the end of last season, it might be good to rest him” – Kári Tulinius
“Can you put that photo of Kai Havertz back up? At least then Arsenal fans will have a useful striker to look at. And it’d be no more immoble than the one on the pitch” – Charles Anaki [Click here to relive some of that Hot Havertz Action]
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HALF TIME: Napoli 0-0 Arsenal
It’s been good, but not great.
45 min +2: Saka goes long. There’s a bit of pinball, before Hincapie tries to catch Meret out with a cheeky threaded shot towards the bottom left. There’s no pace on the shot, and it’s easy for the keeper.
45 min +1: The first of two additional minutes, and Konsa’s sheer determination down the right wins Arsenal a corner. Just enough time to take it!
45 min: Arsenal should be leading. Odegaard slides a pass down the inside-right channel to release Saka into the Napoli box. Saka is one on one with Meret, and looks for the top left, but gets it all wrong, the ball sailing miles off target to the left. The offside flag pops up to momentarily save Saka’s blushes … but replays show he was comfortably onside. That’s a huge opportunity passed up.
43 min: The free kick, then. A big faff, and a big waste. But Arsenal come again, Odegaard curling in from the left. Meret, who looks fit and healthy to the naked and untrained eye, punches clear acrobatically.
42 min: This game has slipped into Basketball Mode. Saka with a dribble down the right. His cutback for Rice is intercepted. Olivera probes down the left but can’t get past Konsa. Eze scampers up the other end, and is skittled by Gilmour, who goes into the book. A free kick 30 yards out, just to the left of centre.
40 min: Olivera swats Saka off the ball and sends Santos off on a wild run down the left. Santos nearly gets the better of Konsa … but the Arsenal defender somehow sticks to his side like glue, and eventually does some swatting of his own. Santos goes over, and wants a free kick, but he’s not getting one.
39 min: Politano’s in-swinging shot from the right flies straight at Raya. Arsenal counter, and Saka hoicks a dreadful effort miles over the bar.
38 min: … though having said that, Napoli’s back-up keeper Milinković-Savić is furiously prepping in the dugout. Meret puts his boot through a clearance, meanwhile, so perhaps all’s well. Let’s see.
37 min: Meret is fine to continue, and restarts the game. Everyone refreshed.
36 min: The game doesn’t restart immediately, because Meret has a problem. On come the physio. Everyone else takes the opportunity to snorkel some isotonic treats.
35 min: Rice buys a ticket from 25 yards. High and wide.
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