Riccardo Calafiori injury scare leaves Mikel Arteta with major Arsenal headache ahead of Liverpool showdown | OneFootball

Gunners increasingly short in defence ahead of Liverpool’s visit on Sunday

Arsenal made it back-to-back home wins in the Champions League with an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, settled by an own goal from goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk after 29 minutes.

Here are three Arsenal talking points...

Calafiori injury a potential blow

As Riccardo Calafiori gingerly made his way off the pitch with 20 minutes to play, you couldn't help but think ahead to Sunday.

The full-back slid awkwardly on the turf and appeared to jar his knee - it looked uncomfortable - and his attempt to play on lasted only a moment or two before he signalled to the bench.

Losing Calafiori for this weekend's crunch visit of Liverpool would be an enormous headache for Mikel Arteta, who will already be without the suspended William Saliba for the six-pointer against the League leaders.

By the time the Italian went off, Ben White had been replaced by Mikel Merino at the interval. White had been booked, which might have been playing on Arteta's mind, but more likely the head coach wanted to dry-run his team for Sunday, when Thomas Partey will be needed at right-back to allow White to deputise for Saliba.

If Arsenal are without Calafiori and Jurrien Timber - sidelined since the start of the month with an unspecified muscular problem - as well, who is going to deal with Mohamed Salah?

Arteta turned to Myles Lewis-Skelly for Calafiori here, overlooking Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior, but it would surely be a huge ask for the teenager to face Liverpool in such a significant game.

Lose against Arne Slot's flying Reds and Arsenal will be seven points behind their rivals, a big gap given the levels set at the top of the table in recent seasons.

Arteta will now be sweating over Calafiori's fitness and mulling over how best to replace him in a depleted back four.

Arsenal in strong position after flat display

This was not a European night likely to live long in anyone's memory but a scrappy win leaves Arsenal on seven points from three matches, and in a strong position in the revamped Champions League.

You can argue over whether the visit to Inter Milan in a fortnight is a massive game or not, but the reality is that Arsenal only need one more win from their remaining five games to guarantee a spot in the play-offs for the knockouts.

Perhaps the absence of jeopardy contributed to a flat atmosphere and a surprisingly loose Arsenal performance, particularly in the second half.

Arsenal should have scored more after Gabriel Martinelli's shot struck the post and rebounded over the line off the backside of goalkeeper Riznyk.

Gabriel Martinelli’s strike brought about the only goal of the match

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

They were, though, wasteful in attack - Trossard's meek penalty straight down the middle summed up their finishing - and unusually open at the back.

More than once, Arsenal opened the door to Shakhtar with sloppy play and only a smart one-handed save from Raya from Pedrinho in stoppage-time denied Shakhtar a late leveller.

After the damaging defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend, Arteta will be relieved to get back to winning ways but the manner of his side's display might have concerned the head coach, particularly with Liverpool looming on Sunday.

Jesus fails to make case

Raheem Sterling was the fall guy at Bournemouth, hooked in the first half following Saliba's dismissal.

Arteta, though, did not repay the winger with another start, instead bringing in Gabriel Jesus on the right wing, with Bukayo Saka still missing through injury.

For Jesus, it was an opportunity to make an impression and stake a claim to start at the weekend if Saka remains sidelined, which the Brazilian ultimately failed to take.

In many respects, Jesus produced a characteristic display, lively and full of verve but missing a cutting edge in front of goal. He had a glorious opportunity to double Arsenal's lead in the first half but fired too close to Riznyk, who saved with his legs.

Jesus remains without a goal since January 30, a concerning run, even considering his injury lay-offs in that time, and he was replaced here by Sterling on 67 minutes, presumably a little frustrated.

As it stands, it is unclear if Saka will be fit for the weekend and, if not, who is best-placed to fill his big shoes.