Arsenal beat Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at the Emirates to remain unbeaten in the Champions League. They weren’t the prettiest of wins, especially at the end of the second half, but they can’t all be brilliant. The Gunners are clearly not firing on all cylinders with key players missing and a revolving door to the training room being opened for others. The glass half full view shows that it’s impressive that they find ways to win. The “glass half empty” perspective warns that the schedule will be difficult for a few weeks and playing this way will not be enough.

The Gunners played well in the first half. Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli were particularly clever and created a few good chances. If Arsenal continue to create chances, the goals will come. The attack looked much better than it did in the first 30 minutes against Bournemouth, which somewhat alleviates my concerns. Still, the only goal in the game came from a shot from Martinelli that hit a defender’s knee, the post and the goalkeeper’s back end. Arsenal could use a few more goals. The return of Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard to the lineup, hopefully sooner rather than later, should help with that.

At half-time I had the feeling that Arsenal would score another goal or two in the second 45 minutes if they kept playing like this. But the game changed. Shakhtar optimized their formation and the Gunners seemed to be running out of energy. The atmosphere in the second half was really bad. Leandro Trossard saved a poor penalty attempt. Injuries didn’t help either.

Ben White came off the pitch at half-time and pushed Thomas Partey to the right-back. White combined well with Gabriel Jesus on the right wing, meaning Arsenal lost this attacking combination. Partey was one of the better players on the pitch in the middle of the park. Taking him out of midfield affected Arsenal’s ability to control and dictate the game.

Midway through the second half, Riccardo Calafiori apparently had to cope with knee problems. It didn’t look great either. After being examined, he tried to move on and walked away under his own power, but he seemed to know something was wrong. Hopefully it’s nothing serious, but I’m a little worried he might miss a few weeks.

It also looked like Leandro Trossard was limping slightly as he left the pitch towards the end of the game. He definitely winced too. The Gunners really can’t afford many more injuries. However, the downside of the matter is that Mikel Arteta could be forced to play Ethan Nwaneri due to a lack of other options.

When Arsenal lose out in one-goal games, they usually don’t let their opponents get to the goal. But Shakhtar had their chances. David Raya had to parry a long-range shot really well and hold on to a ball in the air. It wasn’t a classic Arsenal performance. They didn’t come away with a win, but it didn’t feel nearly as safe and controlled as it usually does.

A win is a win. Arsenal have seven points from three games in the Champions League table and are in fourth place pending tomorrow’s results. They are on pace and on schedule to finish in the important top eight and avoid an additional home and away draw.

However, they need to sort out a few things before Liverpool visit the Emirates on Sunday. They are not playing at a level that is likely to beat the Reds. Come on, you Arsenal medical staff!