Arsenal survive late Shakhtar Donetsk scare but injury blights win - 5 talking points

ARSENAL 1-0 SHAKHTAR DONETSK: An ain extremity from Dmytro Riznyk was the quality arsenic the Gunners made it back-to-back victories successful the Champions League and returned to winning ways

Arsenal made it back-to-back wins successful the Champions League arsenic they laboured to a 1-0 triumph implicit Shakhtar Donetsk.

Mikel Arteta's men were fixed a portion of luck successful the archetypal fractional erstwhile Gabriel Martinelli's changeable cannoned disconnected the station and deed visiting goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk earlier rolling in. The Gunners could've enjoyed a comfy last 4th of an hr if not for Leandro Trossard missing a penalty, arsenic Riznyk denied Arsenal this time.

That was aft defender Riccardo Calafiori had gone disconnected injured, a interest for Arteta up of Sunday's clash with Liverpool.

Here are 5 talking points from the Emirates.

1. Jesus handed the armband

With Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard some inactive sidelined, the captaincy was up for grabs successful the Arsenal dressing room. Gabriel Magalhaes had been fixed the work astatine Bournemouth but Arteta decided to marque a alteration for Shakhtar's visit.

Returning to the starting line-up, Gabriel Jesus was handed the armband successful a amusement of religion from his boss. The determination puzzled immoderate supporters but the determination showed grounds that Arteta inactive has immense religion successful his No.9, contempt nary longer being portion of his preferred attacking setup.

2. Martinelli's portion of luck

It was, to nary one's surprise, each Arsenal successful the opening exchanges, arsenic the Gunners came rapidly retired of the blocks. Riccardo Calafiori missed a sitter from their archetypal country of the crippled wrong six minutes and it was a informing motion for Shakhtar.

Only 1 of Arsenal's 5 attempts connected extremity wrong the opening fractional an hr was connected people but the Gunners didn't request to beryllium close to instrumentality the lead. Gabriel Martinelli was afforded abstraction aft a astute tally from Calafiori gave him country connected the near and the Brazilian's right-footed changeable rattled the station earlier hitting the unfortunate Dmytro Riznyk.

Arsenal were up alternatively fortuitously but couldn't judge however it wasn't 2-0 conscionable earlier half-time. Heroic goal-line defending from Mykola Matviyenko denied Kai Havertz aft Riznyk recovered himself successful nary man's lend.

3. Calafiori concern

After Ben White came disconnected astatine half-time for reasons yet to emerge, Arteta was subbed to sub different defender disconnected erstwhile Calafiori went down aft the hr mark. The Italian attempted to transportation connected aft immoderate attraction but wrong minutes was down again, having slipped connected the bedewed turf and gone down wincing.

In a damning indictment of Jakub Kiwior's lasting nether Arteta, Myles Lewis-Skelly was chosen to travel connected astatine left-back, hoping to stabalise what'd truthful acold been a sloppy second-half show from the Gunners. Calafiori's departure added to a increasing wounded situation up of Sunday's clash with Liverpool.

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4. Trossard fluffs his lines

One entertaining happening astir VAR is that sometimes it throws up decisions you didn't adjacent cognize wherever connected the cards. After a transverse from Mikel Merino from the left, Shakhtar defender Valeriy Bondar utilized his limb to artifact the ball.

Most wrong the Emirates didn't announcement the incidental and were waiting for the upcoming corner. But soon capable referee Benoit Bastien was was notified of the handball and rapidly made a determination erstwhile helium was sent to the pitch-side monitor.

Leandro Trossard stepped up and with a accidental to seal the game... Hit the legs of Riznyk. Alan Shearer commented that the full incidental summed up the 2nd fractional for Arsenal and it was hard to disagree.

5. Nervy finish

After Trossard's miss, Shakhtar got their tails up and enactment unit connected the Arsenal backline. David Raya had to outpouring into enactment to quell 1 attack, having had a quiescent nighttime up to the closing stages.

Raya past made an fantabulous diving prevention successful wounded clip to contradict a precocious equaliser earlier having to travel to Arsenal's rescuse again successful a goalmouth scramble. Jorginho's instauration besides helped the Gunners upwind the storm, seeing retired the triumph to get backmost to winning ways. The squad from Ukraine, though, did themselves and their war-torn federation proud.

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