To put it mildly, Mikel Arteta has been extremely irritated by Arsenal’s recent spate of red card incidents.

The Gunners manager would have been somewhat relieved by this Champions League triumph, which was mainly routine and uninspired and lacked any excitement, spills, or early showers.

However, with yet another unfortunate injury on the horizon—Riccardo Calafiori might be the newest victim—the Arsenal medical staff is still quite busy.

Arsenal just about got back to winning waysCredit: Reuters

Gabriel Martinelli’s low strike thumped the base of the postCredit: Amazon Prime Video

The ball bounced back off Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk into the back of the netCredit: AFP

The quality of this match was exemplified by Gabriel Martinelli’s goal in the 29th minute, when he cut inside and saw his feeble attempt deflect on to the base of the post before rebounding off Shakhtar Donetsk keeper Dmytro Riznyk’s bottom and in.

Here, the Emirates supporters are still chanting: Arsenal 1-0.

Leandro Trossard missed a penalty in the 77th minute, which would have made the otherwise nice evening a little awkward and boring overall.

It wasn’t exactly the best reaction after a disastrous away day, but it was a job well done.

After William Saliba was sent off in the first half of last weekend’s 2-0 loss at Bournemouth, Arteta had devoted the lead-up to this match to defending his team’s discipline.

They lost seven points as a result, making it three reds in six Premier League games.

It was Arsenal’s first defeat in six months during the match against the Cherries.

Therefore, even though the performance and atmosphere were both woefully inadequate for a European night under the lights, it was important to avoid another disappointing outcome.

Arteta won’t be too worried about that.

In a new format where teams must play the long game to qualify, their below-par victory puts them at seven points out of a potential nine.

And with Liverpool, Arne Slot’s unexpected championship contenders, visiting town on Sunday, everyone will be giddy with excitement over the chance to close the gap at the top of the league.

There were certain advantages. Martinelli, who has contributed to a third goal in his previous five appearances in all competitions, is back to his nimble and explosive best on the left flank.

However, Arteta still has to deal with a few headaches.

Along with the suspended Saliba, captain Martin Odegaard and star player Bukayo Saka are serious doubts to play against the Reds.

This one also resulted in several casualties. For an unspecified cause, Ben White was substituted out at halftime, and Calafiori was also substituted out due to a jarred knee.

Then there is the Gabriel Jesus problem.

The Belgian had his head in his handsCredit: Rex

Riccardo Calafiori hobbled off injuredCredit: Reuters

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk was in the stands to watch his old team

The Brazilian had the opportunity to stop the most undesired of runs in front of goal on just his fourth start of the season.

It had been 22 games, 266 days, and 732 minutes since Jesus’ goal against Nottingham Forest on January 30.

Once more, that run was prolonged, and the slump persists even while facing his favorite rival, a team against which only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals in this competition.

Additionally, Arteta is no longer trusted to play as a striker, even though he is wearing the captain’s armband, as he is being used on the wing in a 4-4-2 formation after his Mikel Merino experiment against Bournemouth failed.

This player is obviously in his own head, overanalyzing every shot and touch and frantically seeking confidence. It’s not that he didn’t have chances—good chances.

Jesus needs to get over his present injury situation quickly and contribute as much as Martinelli, Trossard, and Kai Havertz are right now given Arsenal’s current injury situation.

Calafiori blasted over from six yards out, and Trossard and Havertz joined forces from a corner early on.

In front of their 3,000 traveling supporters, Shakhtar was having trouble keeping up with the early pace.

10Valeriy Bondar was penalised for the handballCredit: PA

Leandro Trossard stepped up to take the spot-kickCredit: PA

But it was saved by Riznyk’s outstretched feetCredit: Reuters

Despite their difficult 13-hour travel from war-torn Ukraine, manager Marino Pushych claimed there was no time for excuses in their first Euro match played in England in almost five years.

However, Arsenal was also careless. Sometimes White and Saliba doze off to give Eguinaldo a whiff of goal and an infrequent attacking run.

Martinelli’s enormous slice of luck calmed the nerves as the hosts took the lead, ending a string of wasted opportunities.

Two minutes later, he was back at it, and Declan Rice had a chance to score for Havertz but was stopped by some excellent defending before Shakhtar captain Mykola Matviyenko blocked his close-range diving header.

Inside the box, Jesus missed a couple of sitters. Right now, nothing he does causes the net to ripple.

After White was inexplicably substituted at halftime, Thomas Partey was forced to start at right-back, and Merino was brought on for further playing time at his new team.

Even after Trossard’s header went just wide, Arsenal was still having trouble keeping up. However, a VAR-assisted decision to award a spot-kick for an unlucky handball from Merino’s cross provided the ideal remedy.

Trossard moved forward, but he was only able to locate Riznyk’s legs.

Arteta must actually move on from this game and performance for his own sake.