(CNN) -- Arsene Wenger could scarcely have asked for a more enjoyable anniversary gift from his players after Arsenal produced a scintillating showing to see off Napoli in the Champions League.
Celebrating his 17th year in charge, Wenger watched on as the Gunners turned in one of the English club's finest European performances for some time to defeat the Serie A side 2-0.
Mesut Ozil, the German playmaker who arrived on deadline day from Real Madrid, was the man who ran the show.
Ozil's sublime opener and an Olivier Giroud strike secured a second straight Champions League win for Arsenal, which now sits three points clear at the top of Group F.
"Considering we were playing against a top side, we played very efficiently winning the ball back and it was a very impressive first 45 minutes," captain Mikael Arteta told Sky Sports.
"We have the talent up front to score the goals. But there is also a hunger. Now we know that we need to win the ball back quickly, because when we win it back in the final third we are very dangerous.
"We still have players to come back from injury and they will add their own qualities."
After its opening day defeat by Aston Villa which led to huge criticism of Wenger, Arsenal has been in imperious form.
And the Frenchman was delighted with his side's latest showing as it continued its winning streak.
"I felt that we played at a good pace, technically very direct and finished with great goals," he told Sky Sports.
"The first half was outstanding. The second half we played more with maturity, less with drive going forward, a bit more cautious, but overall and outstanding game.
"The first half was amazing, absolutely fantastic. Everything was in there. All that you dream to see when you come to watch football.
"We were solid. Flamini and Arteta contributed to that, and overall it was positive because I wanted Flamini to be very good on the counter attack, especially with Ramsey, and that worked very well."
Napoli coach Rafael Benitez had never managed to win at Arsenal during his time at Liverpool or Chelsea and that statistic rarely looked like changing.
One sided
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Arsenal, which sits top of the Premier League, ran riot during a one sided first half with Ozil dictating proceedings in the middle of the field.
Napoli had arrived with plenty of optimism, unbeaten this season after winning five of its opening six Serie A games and having seen off Borussia Dortmund in its last European fixture.
But it had little to offer in way of a response against the tidal wave of pressure exerted by a buoyant Arsenal.
In the group's other game, Dortmund eased to a 3-0 win over Marseille courtesy of Robert Lewandowski's double and a Marco Reus strike.
Arsenal hosts Dortmund in its next game on October 22 -- a tie which Wenger is relishing following his side's perfect start to the group stage.
"You cannot start better, and the next two will be deciders," he added.
"That's when we want the game to come back after the international break and have a great game against Dortmund."
Chelsea
In Group E, Schalke moved top with a 1-0 win at Basel thanks to a Julian Draxler strike, while Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 victory at Steaua Bucharest.
Two goals from Ramires, an own-goal and a late Frank Lampard effort clinched Chelsea's first win in this year's competition and eased the pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.
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In 2011, Anton Hysen became only the second active footballer to come out as being gay -- more than 20 years after Justin Fashanu did so. While Fashanu was a high-profile star in England, Hysen plays in Sweden's lower leagues.
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"This is what Chelsea needed," Juan Mata told Sky Sports. "The first game against Basel was a painful defeat.
" We showed we wanted to win. We played really well. It was enough to win. It will now give us confidence."
Atletico Madrid has taken charge of Group G following a 2-1 win over Porto in Portugal.
Diego Godin and Arda Turan were both on target as the Spanish side, which won Sunday's Madrid derby, came from behind to claim the points following Jackson Martinez's opener.
In the group's other game, Russia's Zenit St. Petersburg was held to a goalless draw by Austria Vienna -- a result which leaves both teams with one point from their opening two fixtures.
Barcelona
Barcelona equaled Manchester United's record of 39 away wins in the Champions League after overcoming Celtic 1-0.
The Scottish champion had chances of its own but was forced to play the final 31 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of captain Scott Brown.
Brown was adjudged to have kicked out at Barca star Neymar and was given his marching orders.
Cesc Fabregas ensured Barcelona made the most of its numerical supremacy with 15 minutes of normal time remaining.
"I'm not convinced it's a red card. If there's any contact it's very minimal," Celtic boss Neil Lennon told ITV.
"It changed the game. It's hard enough playing against Barcelona with 11 men, never mind 10 men.
"Neymar has a reputation in the game. Sometimes he exaggerates things a little bit."
In the group's other game, Mario Balotelli scored a 94th-minute penalty to rescue a point for AC Milan at Ajax.
The Dutch side appeared to have won the contest when Stefano Denswil netted in the 90th minute but Balotelli struck at the death to silence the home crowd after the Italy striker went down in the area following a tussle with substitute Mike Van der Hoorn.
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High profile managers like Jose Mourinho (pictured) are adept at managing a complex array of stakeholders and their demands, Carson said, a skill that will be familiar to many CEOs and senior executives.
A fair comparison between the business and football worlds would be former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola and Steve Jobs, the late Apple CEO, Carson said. Both lived their vision (in Jobs' case innovative product design and in Guardiola's a style of play) dragging their respective institutions along with them.
Borussia Dortmund's charismatic coach, Jurgen Klopp, is renowned for his energetic touchline persona. According to the dean of Edinburgh University's business school, Professor Ian Clarke, senior business figures could learn from the passion displayed by the likes of Klopp.
The best managers are always looking to learn more, Carson believes. New Manchester United manager, David Moyes, is highly regarded for his desire to soak up new ideas and implement innovative coaching methods.
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Hysen supported a campaign asking players to wear rainbow-colored laces to promote awareness of homophobia in football. However, Fulham's David Stockdale (pictured) was one of the few players at British clubs who took up the invitation.
Former United States and Leeds United striker Robbie Rogers used his website to announce he was gay earlier in 2013 -- but then promptly retired from football at the tender age of 25. However, just months later he returned to the game with Major League Soccer team Los Angeles Galaxy.
England international striker Fashanu, the country's first £1 million black footballer, could not live with the scars of his revelation. He committed suicide in 1998.
Former NBA player John Amaechi, who was raised in Britain, broke barriers as the first professional basketballer to announce he was gay in 2007. He made the revelations in his autobiography after retiring from the game.
Jason Collins of the Washington Wizards became the first active NBA player to announce that he is gay on April 29, 2013. The 34-year-old was made a free agent in July but said he wanted to continue playing.
Sport's biggest lesbian star is 18-time grand slam tennis champion Martina Navratilova, who announced she was gay shortly after gaining U.S. citizenship in 1981. Her revelation came relatively early in her career and she went on to win many more titles.
American four-time Olympic gold medallist Greg Louganis came out as gay when he was diagnosed with HIV in 1988. He told CNN's Piers Morgan in 2012 he believes in "equal rights for everybody."
Former Wales rugby union captain Gareth Thomas described the conflict between his sport and his sexuality when he came out in 2009, telling the Daily Mail newspaper: "It is barbaric. I could never have come out without first establishing myself and earning respect as a player."
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