- Arsenal only managed to beat Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 on Tuesday evening
- Dmytro Riznyk's own goal before half-time settled proceedings
- Leandro Trossard missed a penalty in the second half for the hosts
Arsenal beat Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 on Tuesday evening at the Emirates Stadium to maintain their unbeaten record in the Champions League this season.
The Gunners found themselves ahead at half-time thanks to a slice of luck following Shakhtar goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk's own goal and they could have extended their lead before the break had it not been for some wasteful finishing.
Leandro Trossard missed a penalty after the restart as Shakhtar threatened to stun the hosts with a late leveller, but the Gunners held on to secure an important win before Sunday's Premier League battle with Liverpool.
How the game unfolded
Arsenal's superiority was established from the first minute as they made a fast-paced start on home soil and Riccardo Calafiori should have handed the home side the lead after just six minutes. One of the Gunners' flurry of early corners fell kindly to the Italian but he blazed his effort over from eight yards out.
The occasional foray forward from Shakhtar gave Arsenal some food for thought but the Gunners made their dominance count just before the half-hour mark. It was Gabriel Martinelli who forced the hosts in front, darting inside and unleashing a shot that slammed the post before striking goalkeeper Riznyk's backside and trundling over the line.
Arsenal would have doubled their advantage in the 39th minute if it wasn't for an excellent piece of last-ditch defending from Shakhtar captain Mykola Matviyenko. Gabriel Jesus redirected his header across the six-yard box for Kai Havertz to tap in from close range but a lunging challenge from the Ukrainian denied the German forward.
Havertz then turned provider for Jesus as the home side nearly found a second before the half-time whistle. The Brazilian was teed up the former Chelsea forward inside the penalty area but was unable to end his nine-month goal drought as he fired at the outstretched leg of Riznyk.
Havertz continued to pull the strings for Arsenal in the final third and found Martinelli inside the box within eight minutes of the restart. The latter had caused Shakhtar all manner of problems out on the left flank but side-footed his effort too close to Riznyk's gloves.
Arsenal were gifted the perfect opportunity to put the game to bed just as the nerves were creeping in around the Emirates. Valeriy Bondar's handball presented the Gunners with a penalty following a VAR review, but Trossard's tame spot kick was rebuffed by Riznyk to keep Shakhtar's hopes alive.
A comfortable evening threatened to turn sour in the closing stages as the visitors chased a surprise equaliser. Shakhtar flexed their muscles with some impressive counter-attacks and Pedrinho's 92nd-minute shot would have secured a famous point for the Ukrainian side if not for an agile David Raya save.
However, Arsenal just about did enough to avoid any late embarrassment and bounce back from Saturday's defeat at the hands of Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Arsenal player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: David Raya - 6/10 - A bystander throughout the first half. Should have been tested more by Shakhtar in the closing stages but made one great stop.
RB: Ben White - 6/10 - Booked during the first half as he wrestled with the fleet-footed Eguinaldo. His only notable action of the game before being withdrawn at the break.
CB: William Saliba - 7/10 - After an outing to forget against Bournemouth, Saliba enjoyed a much simpler evening against Shakhtar. Stood firm as the away side chased the game in the dying minutes.
CB: Gabriel - 7/10 - Similarly to his central defensive partner, Gabriel only had to escape second gear in the final ten minutes or so at the Emirates. Mopped up when he needed to and largely kept Shakhtar's attacking players quiet.
LB: Riccardo Calafiori - 7/10 - Should have fired the Gunners ahead from a corner in the opening stages but made amends with a strong performance. Regularly found himself deep inside Shakhtar territory before being withdrawn due to injury after 70 minutes.
DM: Thomas Partey - 6/10 - Operated as a right-back after the restart in place of White and did well to nullify Eguinaldo's speed and athleticism. Impressed out of possession without ever really catching the eye.
DM: Declan Rice - 7/10 - Kept things ticking in midfield with his energy and urgency. Seldom put a foot wrong and was reliable with and without the ball.
RW: Gabriel Jesus - 6/10 - Spurned a glorious chance to return to the scoresheet for the first time since January in a competitive fixture but was a positive presence with his ingenuity in the Shakhtar half.
AM: Leandro Trossard - 4/10 - Not the cleanest performance from Trossard, who was a little wayward with his passing in the final third. Missed a penalty that would have put Arsenal two goals to the good.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli - 8/10 - Forced the opener with his agility and was a constant menace out wide with his trickery and pace. Often looked the most likely to increase Arsenal's tally and offered the dynamism his side missed in the absence of Bukayo Saka.
ST: Kai Havertz - 7/10 - The German was a key creator for Arsenal in the final third with some excellent link-up play. Made the difficult things look simple and would have had himself a goal if not for a heroic piece of Shakhtar defending just before half-time.
Substitutes
SUB: Mikel Merino (46' for White) - 6/10 - Covered plenty of ground and was defensively sound when called upon.
SUB: Raheem Sterling (68' for Jesus) - 6/10
SUB: Myles Lewis-Skelly (72' for Calafiori) - 6/10
SUB: Jorginho (88' for Trossard) - N/A
Subs not used: Neto (GK), Tommy Setford (GK), Jakub Kiwior, Josh Robinson, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Zane Monlouis, Ethan Nwaneri, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji.
Manager
Mikel Arteta - 6/10 - Will have been frustrated with his side's inability to put the game beyond doubt and their sloppiness in the closing minutes. However, another European win and a clean sheet is not to be sniffed at.
