If there is a sense of apprehension around Arsenal at the moment, it went up a level late in the second half of this nervy 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. The sight of Riccardo Calafiori hobbling off after an awkward slip and becoming the latest addition to their lengthy injury list gives Mikel Arteta another headache ahead of facing Liverpool on Sunday. “He felt something,” Arteta said afterwards. “I don’t know the extent of it so in that sense that’s not great news.”
His side had to dig in here to claim another three points in the Champions League against a resolute Shakhtar team. There was a dip in energy after Calafiori’s injury, another after Leandro Trossard’s penalty was saved in the 75th minute. Not for the first time in this Champions League, Arsenal were indebted to David Raya, whose strong arm denied a dipping shot from Pedrinho in the 92nd minute. It denied what would have been a famous point for the Ukrainian side.
Calafiori’s injury, though, had already added to Arsenal’s concerns. In defence alone, Arteta will also be without the suspended William Saliba against Liverpool while Jurrien Timber was again sidelined, along with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Arsenal finished the game here with Thomas Partey and Miles Lewis-Skelly as their full-backs, after Ben White was replaced on a booking at half time. White, at least, was not injured. Arteta did not want to risk a fourth red card of the season.
There was another positive. Gabriel Martinelli seized control of Arsenal’s attack and directed its flow through him, almost as if he was determined to prove a point after his costly miss at 0-0 in the defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday. The Brazilian was back close to his irrepressible best here and forced Arsenal’s only goal of the night, itself an unfortunate deflection off Shakhtar goalkeeper Dymtro Riznyk, but provided much more of his devastating speed and dribbling besides. “He looked really sharp, really fresh,” Arteta said. “He offered another level of threat.”
How Arsenal needed it. Once again without Bukayo Saka, Martinelli’s directness pulled Arsenal’s patterns down his left side. With Arsenal’s play so often dominated by Saka and Martin Odegaard on the opposite flank, Arteta has long craved the same effectiveness on his left. With a fit and firing Martinelli restored and partnered with the Calafiori, he may have found it, but another solution is likely to be required for the arrival of Liverpool this weekend in what is a must-win game following the Bournemouth defeat.
This was another night where it was clear how desperately Arsenal are missing Saka and Odegaard. Martinelli aside, Arteta’s team struggled to click into gear. Gabriel Jesus had moments but did not look at home shunted back out to the right. Raheem Sterling did not get the opportunity he wanted to finally settle into this Arsenal attack, after he was hooked following Saliba’s first-half red card on Saturday evening. Trossard, culpable for the centre-back’s dismissal with his back pass, appears low on confidence. He had the chance to wrap up what should have been a comfortable victory from the penalty spot but his effort, sent straight down the middle, was saved by Riznyk.
At least that was a moment for the visiting fans to celebrate. Shakhtar were representing Ukraine as much as themselves in London. With its domestic league heavily impacted by the ongoing Russian invasion of their homeland, Ukrainian clubs have unimaginable hurdles to overcome to compete on the continental stage but Shakhtar were determined to fight for their nation. The away section was coloured by the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.
Yet it felt like it could be a long evening for Shakhtar in the opening stages. Their inaccuracy in possession when playing out from the back invited pressure and allowed Arsenal to dominate without looking particularly sharp themselves. But without Saka, it was difficult to escape the sense that Arsenal were missing something: especially so as Trossard took corners with his left foot in an attempt to replicate Saka’s inswinging delivery.
Although that did lead to an early chance, blazed over by Calafiori seven yards out. There were long-range shots from Calafiori and Declan Rice, neither at all troubling, and a near-post flick from Trossard, again harmlessly wide. The creator was Martinelli, Arsenal’s liveliest spark. The breakthrough arrived as the Brazilian cut into the penalty area and onto his right foot, shifted it a further step, and fired low towards the near post. Riznyk may have made the save if Martinelli’s shot had not taken a touch on the way through. Instead, it rebounded off the post and went in off his back.
Arsenal stepped it up in the closing stages of the half. Martinelli’s cross found Jesus at the back post and it took an excellent clearance from Matviyenko to deny Kai Havertz on the goalline. Riznyk was then forced into an important block with his feet as Havertz set up Jesus with a clever lay-off. Martinelli then resumed Arsenal’s intensity after half time, firing in a cross that was headed wide by Trossard. Again, the instigator had been Calafiori, turning well between two Shakhtar players on halfway. Martinelli continued to torment Riznyk, harrying the goalkeeper until he was forced to clear for a throw-in.
But Arsenal lost their way, allowing Shakhtar to creep back into it. Raya was not required to make a save until the very but there was flashes of Arsenal players looking jumpy on the ball. Trossard, whose back-pass led to Saliba’s red card against Bournemouth, almost played Arsenal into trouble again but Eguinaldo’s shot was blocked. Calafiori was caught just outside his box, barged into by Eguinaldo, but Shakhtar found themselves offside.
Calafiori landed awkwardly, his leg slipping from underneath him. He attempted to continue but became the latest addition to Arsenal’s injury pile-up ahead of Liverpool. Arsenal were handed the opportunity to put the game to bed when Mikel Merino’s arm struck the hand of Valerii Bondar in the box. As if to sum up Arsenal’s night, Trossard went down the middle and the diving Riznyk saved with his feet, making amends. Arsenal shouldn’t have needed another moment from Raya after the goalkeeper’s double-save in Atalanta, but it was required to deny Pedrinho.