Arsenal dominated a lot of the game against Shakhtar but the Emirates Stadium saw an intense battle as a result. Under five minutes before halftime, Gabriel Martinelli fired in his side’s opener. The shot hit the post and was cleared off Riznyk. But Arsenal could have killed the match but failed to see off a resilient Shakhtar. Who themselves had wasted gilt-edged opportunities to come away with a draw. Gabriel Jesus, and Riccardo Calafiori both miss clear chances, and Leandro Trossard had his weak penalty saved after halftime. Arsenal Were average against Shakhtar.
It brings Arsenal up to seven points out of nine in Europe, but there are grounds for concern. Arteta’s injury-hit side lost Calafiori to a worrying knee injury. Before a must-win match against Liverpool on Sunday and the manager has a selection headache.
But as Arsenal looks forward, they will need to address their poor lack of wastefulness in front of goal. That win was a good result, but they can’t just rely on unlikely deflections like they did on Thursday. Arteta faces a balancing act between attack and defence, at a time when they have key fixtures to come. As the Gunners’ fate in the Champions League and in the Premier League rests largely. On their ability to convert chances into goals. They come into the game on the back of three consecutive matches in which they were outplayed.
We’ll wait to see how Calafiori’s injury status develops before we conclude this analysis. Arsenal fans pray for a swift recovery, and Arteta prepares for the Liverpool clash. Every match matters, and the Gunners’ long journey in Europe and the domestic league continues.
Never was an Arsenal win a narrow 1-0 one. Though their victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League hardly warranted that label. The Gunners edged to a 1-0 win over the Merengues but just one as their faltering progress. In the competition came to a shuddering close on Tuesday, trailing 5-3 on aggregate.
Arsenal were average against Shakhtar
Let’s delve into the details. Arsenal’s recent Champions League tie with Shakhtar Donetsk was anything but straightforward.
Arsenal dominated possession and it created chances. Here’s a breakdown of key players and their contributions:
Goalkeeper & Defence
– David Raya (7/10): Throughout the game,. Raya had almost nothing to do apart from meet the PK and deny Pedrinho at the death.
– Ben White (5/10): Merino came on at halftime, replacing White who wasn’t fully fit and has been booked.
– William Saliba (7/10): Time was on Saliba’s side. After his recent red card and the France centre-back was rarely put under pressure.
– Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10): Top things done by the defender included being proactive and making good blocks.
Midfield
– Thomas Partey (8/10): Partey reasserted himself during the first half, dominating with and without the ball. After White’s substitution, he switched to right-back.
– Declan Rice (7/10): And while Rice pushed forward, he tried shots on goal. Noteworthy was his cross-field passes.
– Gabriel Martinelli (7/10): Martinelli, though, shone on the left and won’t get the opening goal, deflected off the keeper.
– Gabriel Jesus (6/10): But Jesus played well on the right wing, although he missed a key opportunity.
Attack
– Leandro Trossard (6/10): Trossard pressed and some had lovely touches too. Sadly for Arsenal, that late penalty miss summed up their problems in front of goal.
Kai Havertz (6/10): Havertz was working hard; he just didn’t have clear chances to get his name on the scoresheet.
Subs and Manager
- – Mikel Merino (6/10): Merino replaced White at halftime, offering little in attack, and defended well.
- – Raheem Sterling (5/10): Sterling could not own the game.
- – Myles Lewis-Skelly (N/A): Calafiori was replaced in the lineup.
- – Jorginho (N/A): Played the final minutes.
- – Mikel Arteta (6/10): However, Arteta changed his tactics, but didn’t bring on Ethan Nwaneri. His team struggled for invention in the middle of the park.
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