
If there is a sense of apprehension around Arsenal at the moment, it went up a level late in the second half of this nervy 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. The sight of Riccardo Calafiori hobbling off after an awkward slip and becoming the latest addition to their lengthy injury list gives Mikel Arteta another headache ahead of facing Liverpool on Sunday. “He felt something,” Arteta said afterwards. “I don’t know the extent of it so in that sense that’s not great news.”
His side had to dig in here to claim another three points in the Champions League against a resolute Shakhtar team. There was a dip in energy after Calafiori’s injury, another after Leandro Trossard’s penalty was saved in the 75th minute. Not for the first time in this Champions League, Arsenal were indebted to David Raya, whose strong arm kept out a dipping shot from Pedrinho in the 92nd minute. It denied what would have been a famous point for the Ukrainian side.