Arsenal silence their critics and doubters as they beat the highly rated Seria A side, Napoli by 2-0 at the first leg of the Europa Cup Quarterfinals at the London Emirates stadium on Thursday night.
Arsenal who have been in good form at home, showed intent and hunger to go all the way on Thursday night, as all the build up talks from football pundits and fans alike before the game were all in favour of Napoli, especially after the Everton game. But clearly Arsenal responded on the pitch of play with a vital win.
Napoli could not cope with their quick passing style, which led to alot of unforced errors from the Italian side, as they were ruthlessly punished for that in the first half by Arsenal.
Arsenal no doubt already have one foot in the Semis (unless if they decide to throw that chance away come next week in Italy) as those two goals from Ramsey in the 15th minutes and Uruguayan Lucas Torreira and a clean sheet, is more than enough to win the tie. But they will have to get something from their away game next week…just get a goal and keep the margin in their favour.
The result might have surprised many, but for those who have been following Napoli in Europe, would know that they have been struggling. Having played seven games, drawn two and losing five, the result is a fair one, given their form.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men played better in the second half, as they could have levelled the game, if they had taken their chances. They can still qualify to the Semis, if they play the way they did in the second half at the Emirates stadium come next week.