Napoli 2 Arsenal 0: Higuain and Callejon sink 10-mankind Gunners to bestow them help below Dortmund

Napoli 2 Arsenal 0: Higuain and Callejon sink 10-mankind Gunners to bestow them help below Dortmund

This is not the way Arsene Wenger would have wanted it, but Arsenal have done it. They are through to the knockout stages on a night of drama.
Even when Arsenal threatened to lose their grip on this game after Mikel Arteta’s dismissal 15 minutes from time, they somehow held out.
They lived dangerously at times and were reduced to 10 men two minutes after Gonzalo Higuain had put Napoli in front.

Distraught: Napoli goalscorer Gonzalo Higuain (left) shed a few tears after the final whistle

Pick that one out: Gonzalo Higuain celebrates after opening the scoring with little under 20 minutes to play

Match facts

Napoli: Barbosa, Maggio, Armero, Behrami, Fernandez, Albiol, Mertens, Dzemaili, Higuain, Pandev (Insigne 57), Callejon
Subs not used: Uvini, Britos, Colombo, Cannavaro, Inler, Zapata
Booked: Mertens, Dzemaili, Fernandez
Goal: Higuain 73, Callejon 90
Arsenal: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Arteta, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Rosicky (Monreal 74), Flamini, Giroud, Ozil, Cazorla (Ramsey 67)
Subs not used: Vermaelen, Wilshere, Walcott, Monreal, Fabianski, Bendtner
Booked: Arteta, Giroud, Ramsey
Sent off: Arteta 76
Referee: Viktor Kassai
Attendance: 47,000

Arteta was sent off for a second booking, a needless challenge that means he will miss their next game in the Champions League.
At least they are still in it, though they must have had the jitters after Jose Callejon was played through and lifted the ball over the onrushing Wojciech Szczesny in added time.
A third Napoli goal would have put Arsenal out but luckily for Arsene Wenger’s nerves, the referee blew the final whistle immediately after the restart.
Arsenal will be bruised after this defeat, particularly after they played with such composure until Higuain seized on his first real chance of the game in the 73rd minute.
It wasn’t enough, it was never going to be, but it reminded  Arsenal of the dangers ahead. They cannot be this haphazard in the next phase.
At times they escaped and they did eventually crack, but that’s the way it works in the Champions League: hold your nerve and you will be in the hat for the next round.
The Stadio San Paolo is one of the great European football stadiums, a vast concrete bowl without a hint of corporate greed or extravagance in sight. It’s all so raw, with giant Neapolitan flags waving behind each goal and their hysterical fans whistling whenever Arsenal took a touch.

Tormentor: Higuain almost signed for Arsenal in the summer, but netted a neat finish to send them 1-0 down

Scramble: Per Mertesacker (left) and Mathieu Flamini are left flailing as Higuain aims for goal

Pulling the trigger: Higuain aims for Wojciech Szczesny's bottom-left corner to score the opener

Wenger’s team wound them up, sending Napoli’s fans into a frenzy by repeatedly passing the ball back to the feet of Szczesny. It was stirring stuff.
These were highly unusual tactics for Arsenal but hugely effective, taking the sting out of the occasion as they searched for some rhythm in this final group game.
Wenger promised that his team would attack as they targeted 15 points and first place in this toughest of sections. But at times his players seemed uncertain of their role, a rare phenomenon for a team that traditionally only knows one way to play.

Touch of class: Lorenzo Insigne (No 24) found Callejon (No 7) who lifted the ball over Szczesny

Juxtaposition: Moments after urging on his team-mates to make it 3-0 (right) Callejon drops to his knees after realising his side's fine performance was not enough to send Napoli into the knock-out

Per Mertesacker was the outstanding figure in the Arsenal team, rising to the occasion with another towering performance. He made two crucial interceptions, calculating perfectly before sliding into the ball to clear the danger.
When he fooled Callejon by dipping his shoulder and casually laying the ball off to a nearby team-mate, you knew this was going to be his night.
Even when he was stranded because of an unusual mistake by Kieran Gibbs down the left, he was alert enough to stand his ground in the centre of the defence as Goran Pandev shot straight at Szczesny.

Marching orders: Mikel Arteta was sent off after picking up two needless bookings

Frustration: Olivier Giroud reacts after Arsenal spurn a chance during the early stages of the game

Up for it: Valon Behrami beats Mesut Ozil to the punch in the final group game in Naples

Close call: Napoli are the first team ever to go out of the group stages with 12 points

Gibbs offers so much going forward with his eye-catching runs, nullifying the threat of Napoli’s pesky wingers with his attacking instincts down the left. But twice he got caught straying from his position on a night when all that mattered to Arsenal was avoiding defeat by three goals.
Laurent Koscielny gave him a harsh stare and after that is was business as usual for Gibbs as  Arsenal closed the game out.
There were moments in the first half when they could have gone ahead, particularly when Giroud was played in down the left. Napoli goalkeeper Rafael Cabral prepared himself for the worst but Giroud shot straight at him and he was able to beat the ball away to safety.

Strong armed: Laurent Koscielny throws himself into a challenge (left) as Gonzalo Higuain reflects on a miss

Physical: Olivier Giroud is wrestled off the ball by Raul Albiol during the first half

Familiar sight: Arsene Wenger (left) and Rafa Benitez (right) watch the game unfold

Hitting the deck: Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini appeal for a free-kick against Goran Pandev

But this was a cautious Arsenal team with one eye on Saturday’s trip to Manchester City and another on their game against Chelsea on December 23.
This performance was disciplined and focused. They showed restraint, reluctant to pour forward in case they were outnumbered on the break. When they were opened up, as they were in the second half when Pablo Armero was waved through on goal by Arsenal’s defence,  Szczesny came to their rescue.

Tribute: Arsenal and Napoli stars joined to pay homage to the late Nelson Mandela

How quickly Napoli fans turn, venting their fury on the left-back after he failed to make the  breakthrough. It is true, he ought to have done better.
Other than that, Arsenal did what their manager asked them to do — keeping the ball well away from the area and the obvious threat of Higuain — until Callejon put the Argentina striker in space and he fired home left-footed from the edge of the box.
Then came Arteta’s sending-off and Callejon’s late goal.
Dortmund’s win in Marseille means Arsenal, as runners-up, will face the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona. But at least they are still there.

A tad late: Arsenal fans were dropped off after the kick-off in special fan coaches forcing them to miss the start

In the spotlight: Wenger makes his way on to the turf ahead of the game resuming after the break