Arsenal had to rely on an own goal to earn them a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday evening.
Arsenal were far from their best in this Champions League clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side were dominant throughout the opening period, but only made the breakthrough thanks to a stroke of fortune.
With 29 minutes on the clock, Gabriel Martinelli fired an effort onto the post. The ball ricocheted off the woodwork, struck the Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper, Dmytro Riznyk, on the back and trickled over the line.
After the break, the Gunners lost control of the game somewhat. Whilst the Ukrainian outfit failed to create any clear cut chances, they enjoyed far more territory and possession as Arsenal’s composure deserted them.
The North London outfit were ultimately fortunate to hold out for their victory, as especially as Leandro Trossard squandered an opportunity to make the result safe from the penalty spot in the 77th minute.
Despite previous penalty taker Kai Havertz being on the pitch, the Belgian forward stepped up to convert the spot kick, but was denied by Riznyk.
Kai Havertz denied chance to break Arsenal record
Havertz opened his account for Arsenal last season from the penalty spot, in a fixture against Bournemouth. In fact, the German has been reliable from 12 yards throughout his career.
Had he been given the opportunity from the spot again, and had he scored, then the 25-year-old would have made history.
Recently, Havertz equalled an Arsenal record set by Robin van Persie. Both players have scored in seven consecutive outings at the Emirates Stadium. Had Havertz netted tonight, he would have been the first Arsenal player to ever take that tally to eight games.
After the final whistle, Arteta told Amazon Prime Video Sport that the decision as to who should take the penalty was made on the pitch, not by himself.
The Spanish coach explained: “I don’t know — I don’t know the conversation because he’s [Havertz] one of the takers, Leo decided to take it. Ok, he missed it, that’s it unfortunately.”
Leandro Trossard needs a lift
This miss summed up Trossard’s forgettable performance against Shakhtar Donetsk.
After the former Brighton man was guilty of a costly error against Bournemouth in Arsenal’s previous fixture, his confidence looks to have been dented. He was perhaps hoping that scoring the penalty would have given him the boost he needs.
Arteta will be hoping that Trossard can rediscover his spark soon, as he is a key player for the Gunners, particularly in the absence of injured club captain Martin Odegaard.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
