‘Awful’ Saka slammed by Arsenal fans after Napoli disappointment

Arsenal made a winning start to their 2026/27 Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Martin Odegaard's goal was enough to settle the contest, but despite Arsenal creating several opportunities, Bukayo Saka became one of the main talking points after another frustrating outing in front of goal.

Arsenal arrived in Naples among the statistical favourites to win the Champions League and showed their quality by leaving Italy with three points.

Odegaard produced the decisive moment, finding the net to reward an Arsenal side that created a host of promising opportunities throughout the game.

Saka, however, could not take advantage of his chances. The England international registered six shots and an expected goals figure of 1.04 but failed to beat the Napoli goalkeeper. His inability to convert one of Arsenal's clearest opportunities proved particularly frustrating for supporters.

The winger has now gone consecutive games without a goal or assist after also drawing a blank in Arsenal's previous fixture against Chelsea.

Saka's performance prompted strong criticism from sections of the Arsenal fanbase on social media, with some supporters arguing that the club's attackers wasted opportunities that could have made the victory far more comfortable.

One fan wrote: “My analysis about today's game. Saka was awful Eze too. Konza was my man of the match after playing great game. Madueke didn't make any impact after coming on. Our captain is back to form.”

Another supporter was even more scathing, saying: “Arteta coached a 6-0 and these attackers pissed everything away. Thank God for the defence because this Napoli performance was egregious. Saka, Eze and Madueke especially all played rubbish.”

A third fan added: “Ødegaard absolutely phenomenal today. Rice, Konsa, Gabriel and Hincapie rock solid today. Saka, Eze and Gyokeres shocking they better step up against Sunderland!”

Despite the criticism, Arsenal have started their European campaign with exactly what matters most: a victory. Saka will now have the chance to respond on the pitch, with Arsenal fans expecting their star attacker to rediscover his cutting edge quickly.