Arsenal 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 0: Martinelli finds form, Jesus continues to wait, Calafiori concern

Arsenal returned to winning ways with a deserved home win in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk – but they made hard work of it.

Goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk's own goal in the first half after excellent work from Gabriel Martinelli made the difference, but Mikel Arteta's side wasted numerous chances, including Leandro Trossard saving a penalty in the second half.

Arsenal, who have picked up seven points from the first three of their eight league games, were again without the injured Bukayo Saka but got off to a bright start when Riccardo Calafiori hammered a great chance over the goal.

They dominated possession but struggled to find a breakthrough – when it came in the 29th minute, they were lucky to do so. Martinelli came inside from the left and hammered a shot against the near post, but the ball then hit Riznyk and bounced into the net.

Gabriel Jesus should have ended a long personal goal drought dating back to January before the break, but failed to beat Riznyk with a shot into the box – he has now not scored in 23 games.

Ben White, who received a yellow card, had to leave the pitch at half-time before Calafiori limped off with 18 minutes left – with Liverpool coming at the weekend and William Saliba suspended after his red card against Bournemouth on Saturday, Arteta Der hopes Hit by the Italian defender is minor.

Trossard saved Riznyk's penalty and it took a brilliant stop from David Raya after Pedrinho's long-range shot to secure the win. Arsenal have now kept clean sheets in three consecutive Champions League games for the first time since 2007.

The athlete analyzes the talking points from the Emirates Stadium.

Martinelli's speed offers a crucial difference

Even though the goal wasn't his own, Martinelli relied on his contribution to Arsenal's winning goal. Although he showed promise off the bench for just a few minutes in the weekend defeat, his performance against Bournemouth is remembered for his crucial miss when the game was goalless.

The confidence Riznyk exuded in his goal was a promising sign. The Brazil international backed that up with his subsequent overall performance, which was even better given the impending visit of Liverpool on Sunday.

Martinelli's pace, evident in the minutes following his goal, has been crucial in games against Liverpool in recent years. He scored five goals in 10 games against them, the most against one opponent, with another five in eight against Crystal Palace.

Martinelli celebrates after playing a key role in the only goal (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

For British readers:

Arsenal have the breakthrough goal 💥

Bad luck for Dmytro Riznyk as Gabriel Martinelli's shot bounces off the post and goes over the Shakhtar goalkeeper and into the goal#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/mWezszZjgf

– Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) October 22, 2024

And for US readers:

Gabriel Martinelli's shot deflects off the Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper to give Arsenal the lead 😳🎯 pic.twitter.com/ePK4ERK8kj

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 22, 2024

In addition to his pace, the winger's quick rallies worked particularly well against Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. He showed this in front of goal tonight, with a lovely move away from a defender before cutting back to Trossard and later in the first half before crossing low to Jesus.

It may not have been clear in the television coverage, but Martinelli was not afraid to move away from the left wing. He was in the center at times and made good double moves before running behind, but was not seen by his teammates.

With Saka's availability for the weekend still unclear, it will be invaluable for Arteta to help Martinelli find confidence.

Why is Jesus fighting at the gate?

As Arteta reverted to his 4-4-2 shape, Jesus flattered himself to deceive on the right. The Brazilian striker showed some good tricks to make his opponent miss but again failed to score the decisive goal in the final third.

After he had a great chance to parry the 2-0 equalizer, he has now played 23 competitive games, eight of them in the starting line-up, without scoring. Jesus' most recent Arsenal goal came against Nottingham Forest on January 30, a 2-1 away win in which he also picked up an assist.

Jesus was blocked by Riznyk but should have scored (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

After showing promise in pre-season with goals against Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen, this has been a frustrating start to the 2024-25 season proper.

There is no doubt that Kai Havertz and Trossard are ahead of him in the pecking order when it comes to playing centrally. Jesus, who was substituted for Raheem Sterling in the 68th minute here, shouldn't be surprised if he doesn't start on the right against Liverpool, even if Saka can't.

Could Partey start at right-back against Liverpool?

Arteta knew he would be without Saliba against Liverpool. That made his half-time decision to sub White for Mikel Merino interesting, regardless of whether it was because the defender had a yellow card. Thomas Partey then moved from midfield to right-back, which would have potentially given him valuable minutes in that position before taking up the role again this weekend.

The 31-year-old also played there against Southampton on October 5th. Although he did not provide the attacking support of White in both appearances, he provided more solidity than when he was deployed at full-back last season. He defended narrowly and left Shakhtar space wide out, so Arteta may need to give Partey more support when he plays at right-back on Sunday.

Should he play there against Liverpool, White could be an option to replace Saliba alongside Gabriel at centre-back – a partnership that boosted Arsenal's progress in the 2021/22 season.

Calafiori's early substitution, apparently due to injury, could worry Arteta on the left side of his defensive line. The problem didn't seem too serious in real time, but the Italian was still replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Calafiori was eventually withdrawn (Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

Although his teenage colleague Ethan Nwaneri is more in demand among fans, Lewis-Skelly showed character again. Just a minute after coming on as a substitute, he demanded the ball from Gabriel while moving from left-back to midfield. Later, he was proactive on defense to block shots and used his body intelligently to win fouls.

Given the commitment to play here in place of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior, it will be interesting to see how his involvement in the first team develops if Calafiori is unable to play the game against Liverpool.

What's next for Arsenal?

Sunday, October 27th: Liverpool (H), Premier League, 4:30pm UK, 12:30pm ET

Recommended reading

(Top photo: Martinelli celebrates with Declan Rice; Shaun Botterill/Getty Images))