Riccardo Calafiori injury scare leaves Mikel Arteta with major Arsenal headache ahead of Liverpool showdown

Arsenal made it back-to-back location wins successful the Champions League with an unconvincing 1-0 triumph implicit Shakhtar Donetsk, settled by an ain extremity from goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk aft 29 minutes.

In an unfastened contest, Leandro Trossard missed a second-half penalty, saved by Rizny's legs, earlier David Raya was forced into a astute precocious save.

Here are 3 Arsenal talking points...

Calafiori wounded a imaginable blow

As Riccardo Calafiori gingerly made his mode disconnected the transportation with 20 minutes to play, you couldn't assistance but deliberation up to Sunday.

The full-back slid awkwardly connected the turf and appeared to jar his genu - it looked uncomfortable - and his effort to play connected lasted lone a infinitesimal oregon 2 earlier helium signalled to the bench.

Losing Calafiori for this weekend's crunch sojourn of Liverpool would beryllium an tremendous headache for Mikel Arteta, who volition already beryllium without the suspended William Saliba for the six-pointer against the League leaders.

By the clip the Italian went off, Ben White had been replaced by Mikel Merino astatine the interval. White had been booked, which mightiness person been playing connected Arteta's mind, but much apt the caput manager wanted to dry-run his squad for Sunday, erstwhile Thomas Partey volition beryllium needed astatine right-back to let White to deputise for Saliba.

If Arsenal are without Calafiori and Jurrien Timber - sidelined since the commencement of the period with an unspecified muscular occupation - arsenic well, who is going to woody with Mohamed Salah?

Arteta turned to Myles Lewis-Skelly for Calafiori here, overlooking Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior, but it would surely beryllium a immense inquire for the teen to look Liverpool successful specified a important game.

Lose against Arne Slot's flying Reds and Arsenal volition beryllium 7 points down their rivals, a large spread fixed the levels acceptable astatine the apical of the array successful caller seasons.

Arteta volition present beryllium sweating implicit Calafiori's fittingness and mulling implicit however champion to regenerate him successful a depleted backmost four.

Arsenal successful beardown presumption aft level display

This was not a European nighttime apt to unrecorded agelong successful anyone's representation but a scrappy triumph leaves Arsenal connected 7 points from 3 matches, and successful a beardown presumption successful the revamped Champions League.

You tin reason implicit whether the sojourn to Inter Milan successful a fortnight is simply a monolithic crippled oregon not, but the world is that Arsenal lone request 1 much triumph from their remaining 5 games to warrant a spot successful the play-offs for the knockouts.

Perhaps the lack of jeopardy contributed to a level ambiance and a amazingly escaped Arsenal performance, peculiarly successful the 2nd half.

Arsenal should person scored much aft Gabriel Martinelli's changeable struck the station and rebounded implicit the enactment disconnected the backside of goalkeeper Riznyk.

They were, though, wasteful successful onslaught - Trossard's meek punishment consecutive down the mediate summed up their finishing - and unusually unfastened astatine the back.

More than once, Arsenal opened the doorway to Shakhtar with sloppy play and lone a astute one-handed prevention from Raya from Pedrinho successful stoppage-time denied Shakhtar a precocious leveller.

After the damaging decision to Bournemouth astatine the weekend, Arteta volition beryllium relieved to get backmost to winning ways but the mode of his side's show mightiness person acrophobic the caput coach, peculiarly with Liverpool looming connected Sunday.

Raheem Sterling was the autumn feline astatine Bournemouth, hooked successful the archetypal fractional pursuing Saliba's dismissal.

Arteta, though, did not repay the winger with different start, alternatively bringing successful Gabriel Jesus connected the close wing, with Bukayo Saka inactive missing done injury.

In galore respects, Jesus produced a diagnostic display, lively and afloat of verve but missing a cutting borderline successful beforehand of goal. He had a glorious accidental to treble Arsenal's pb successful the archetypal fractional but fired excessively adjacent to Riznyk, who saved with his legs.

Jesus remains without a extremity since January 30, a concerning run, adjacent considering his wounded lay-offs successful that time, and helium was replaced present by Sterling connected 67 minutes, presumably a small frustrated.

As it stands, it is unclear if Saka volition beryllium acceptable for the play and, if not, who is best-placed to capable his large shoes.