Arsenal bounced back from their weekend defeat by Bournemouth with a 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Uefa Champions League, courtesy of an own goal by goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.
Gabriel Martinelli’s shot in the 29th minute ricocheted off the post, struck Riznyk on the back, and trickled over the line, giving the Gunners a deserved lead.
Mikel Arteta’s side started brightly, with Riccardo Calafiori missing an early chance to open the scoring. Gabriel Jesus also went close shortly after the goal, only to be denied by a solid save from Riznyk. Despite Arsenal’s dominance, Shakhtar posed a threat on the counter-attack, with winger Eguinaldo keeping the home defense alert.
Injury woes continued for Arsenal, who were without captain Martin Odegaard and star winger Bukayo Saka. The situation worsened as Ben White failed to return for the second half after picking up a yellow card, and Calafiori was withdrawn after suffering an injury from a slip.
Leandro Trossard had a golden opportunity to double Arsenal’s lead from the penalty spot after a VAR review ruled Valerii Bondar handled the ball. However, Riznyk pulled off another fine save to deny Trossard.
Shakhtar almost grabbed a late equalizer in stoppage time, but Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya produced an excellent save to keep out Pedrinho’s shot from the edge of the box.
Arsenal will be relieved to return to winning ways ahead of their crucial Premier League clash with top-of-the-table Liverpool on Sunday.
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