Napoli head coach Massimiliano Allegri offered a generous tribute to Arsenal following his side's 1-0 defeat in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, describing the Gunners as a "great team" after a commanding display at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Martin Odegaard's 75th-minute finish proved the decisive moment, but the scoreline scarcely captured the extent of Arsenal's dominance. The visitors registered 26 shots to Napoli's five, while the hosts managed an expected goals figure of just 0.22 — testament to how comprehensively Arsenal controlled the encounter.

Goalkeeper David Raya was rarely tested throughout the 90 minutes, with Napoli offering next to nothing in attack. At the other end, Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, Piero Hincapie, and Noni Madueke all passed up clear chances before Odegaard finally broke the deadlock.

Allegri's honest assessment

Allegri did not shy away from acknowledging where his side came up short. "Arsenal are a great team. We needed to be patient in not conceding," he said, speaking to Sky Sport. "We raised our level. We could've not conceded and we could've scored."

"We need to analyse our mistakes. The first half we could've done better on a technical level. But Arsenal put in a great performance to be able to score. They are a great side," the Napoli coach added.

Di Lorenzo looks ahead

Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo struck a similar tone, acknowledging Arsenal's quality while urging his teammates to remain focused on the games still to come.

"They are a fantastic side. We had some potential chances and could have done better," Di Lorenzo said. "There are seven other games still. We have to keep working hard and avoid certain mistakes in the future."

The result marks a confident opening to Arsenal's UEFA Champions League league phase campaign, with Allegri's Napoli now under pressure to respond in the remaining fixtures.