Martin Odegaard delivered the winning goal against Napoli, but the numbers behind his performance show why Arsenal should be even more encouraged by their captain.
Odegaard’s superb 75th-minute strike secured the 1-0 victory covered in our Napoli vs Arsenal match report, giving Mikel Arteta’s side the perfect start to their Champions League campaign.
The goal was spectacular.
The wider performance was arguably more important.
Opta’s post-match analysis shows Odegaard had 120 touches, created six chances and played five line-breaking passes, leading every player on the pitch in all three categories.
He also took three shots, completed two take-ons and regained possession five times. Squawka recorded 91 completed passes from 105 attempts and two big chances created.
This was not simply a captain producing one decisive moment.
Odegaard ran Arsenal’s attack.
Odegaard has answered Arteta’s challenge
That matters after the challenge Arteta issued before the season.
ReadArsenal reported in August that Arteta believed Odegaard still had a significant margin to improve after injuries restricted the midfielder to only 16 Premier League starts last season.
The manager wanted the best version of his captain back.
The early evidence suggests he may be getting it.
Odegaard was also our man of the match in Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea, scoring the winner while creating four chances and two big opportunities for teammates.
He then repeated the decisive contribution in Naples.
The important difference is that neither performance depended solely on the goal.
Against Napoli, Odegaard continually found spaces between Massimiliano Allegri’s midfield and defence.
Arsenal recorded 26 shots, their most in a Champions League game since Opta began collecting that data in 2003/04. Napoli had never previously faced as many in the competition.
Odegaard was central to that territorial dominance.
Arsenal’s 29-pass winner explains Odegaard influence
Even the winning goal demonstrated the control Arsenal established.
There were 29 passes in the build-up before Christos Tzolis found Odegaard, Arsenal’s second-longest passing sequence leading to a Champions League goal in the Opta era.
Rather than forcing the issue, Arsenal moved Napoli until the space finally appeared.
Odegaard finished the move emphatically.
It was also his fourth goal of the season, already reinforcing the attacking threat Arteta wanted to rediscover.
His importance has never been limited to scoring. Our Arsenal captaincy guide explains why Arteta continues to place such responsibility on Odegaard as both a leader and the player who dictates much of Arsenal’s possession.
Last season’s injury problems prevented him from doing that consistently.
The opening weeks of 2026/27 look very different.
Two successive match-winning goals will attract the headlines.
But 120 touches, six chances created and five line-breaking passes might be the more significant numbers.
Arsenal do not just have their captain scoring again.
They appear to have their chief creator controlling games again too.
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