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Arsenal bounced back from their defeat at Bournemouth with a slender 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League league phase on Tuesday evening.
A first-half Dmytro Riznyk own goal was all that separated the sides as the Gunners were forced to defend their lead for much of the game after Leandro Trossard wasted a chance to double the advantage from the penalty spot.
While Mikel Arteta's side saw out the victory, there were both a number of positives and negatives to take from the all-important result.
Positive #1: A win is a win
It may not have been pretty but a win is all that mattered for Arsenal on Tuesday night. The victory means the Gunners have now won two of their opening three matches of the league phase, putting them on course to qualify for the knockout stage.
Mikel Arteta may not be too pleased with his side's performance but will most certainly be happy to have taken all three points.
The win does not only put the Gunners on track for knockout qualification but it also builds momentum for the approaching title clash against Liverpool and their next Champions League tie, a tough trip to Inter Milan. The win is no doubt what was important against Shakhtar.
Negative #1: Struggles in front of goal
Despite securing the win, the Gunners struggled in front of goal against Shakhtar. With an xG of 2.13, Arsenal suffered a very poor underperformance in attack, especially considering their one goal came from the opposition goalkeeper.
Arsenal (2.13) 1-0 (0.83) Shakhtar Donetsk
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) October 22, 2024
Arteta's side created three big chances and missed each one. Having 13 shots throughout the game, the Gunners managed to put just five on target. Arsenal's struggles were summed up with Leandro Trossard's penalty miss late in the second half.
The Gunners looked okay creatively but just seemed to lack a deadly finishing product. This may just be an odd occurrence but this is worrying with the massive game against Liverpool looming. Mikel Arteta must look to fix this in order to prevent it becoming a recurring issue.
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