Aaron Ramsey Scores as Arsenal Cruise Past Napoli in 2019 Europa League 1st Leg

Arsenal grabbed the advantage in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final as they convincingly beat Napoli 2-0 on Thursday.

Aaron Ramsey finished an amazing move as the Gunners took an early lead and Kalidou Koulibaly deflected Lucas Torreira's effort into his goal, giving the home side a 2-0 lead after only 25 minutes.

Napoli failed to get to grips with the challenge in London and must be much improved in the second leg to deny Arsenal progression to the semi-finals.

Ramsey Will Prove His True Worth When He Leaves Gunners

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Arsenal showed Napoli how to dominate in Europe on home turf during a great display.

The Gunners were always fluid and dangerous, and Ramsey was the heartbeat of the excellent performance in the centre of midfield.

Ramsey's opener after 14 minutes was one of the best goals scored in the competition this term.

The Welshman finished a sumptuous move which saw Arsenal move the ball up the pitch with incredible craft.

Ramsey eventually linked with Ainsley Maitland-Niles and the Juventus-bound attacker was calm as he swiftly broke the deadlock.

Napoli will have taken note of the 28-year-old with the player set to move to Italy in the summer.

Ramsey has operated as an under-appreciated talent at the Emirates Stadium, and the Gunners will have to spend a fortune to replace his contribution and experience.

The hosts controlled the tempo throughout and Napoli's highly-regarded defender Koulibaly had minimal impact.

Koulibaly has been consistently linked with a transfer to England, but Arsenal's movement left the player exposed.

The Senegal international deflected the ball into his own net in the first half, and Napoli lacked the variation needed to recover and penetrate.

Arsenal could have put the tie to bed as they missed multiple chances to increase their lead.

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Gunners manager Unai Emery will be delighted with the result, but thoughts will soon turn as to how he replaces Ramsey in his squad.

The Wales international's qualities are peaking, and being part of a wonderful squad in Turin will take him too the next level.

The opportunity to operate behind Cristiano Ronaldo could allow Ramsey to emerge as one of Europe's top midfielders.

What's Next

Both teams are back in domestic action after European duty. Napoli travel to Chievo in Serie A on Sunday. Arsenal makes a short trip to Watford in the Premier League on Monday.