Football
Undefeated Arsenal earn hard-fought Champions League win over Shakhtar
Joe Lyons is a sports writer with years of experience on reputable sports and gambling websites. Joe has also been published by Nottingham Forest, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of sports including soccer, basketball, horse racing and American football. Joe specialises in long form content alongside news, tips and betting. Joe has a keen eye for the sports betting industry in the USA which covers the NBA and NFL, tracking and analysing the market as it changes throughout the season.
Get to know Joe Lyons betterPublished2 hours ago on October 22, 2024
Arsenal maintained their unbeaten record in the Champions League this season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates Stadium.
The only goal of the game came on the stroke of the half-hour mark when Gabriel Martinelli‘s effort inside the area rebounded off the post and went in at the unfortunate expense of Shakhtar goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.
The Ukrainian stopper had an enjoyable night otherwise, keeping the Gunners at bay including a penalty save in the 77th minute to deny Leandro Trossard from the spot.
Mikel Arteta‘s side did just enough to earn another valuable three points in the competition, making it two wins and one draw from three appearances so far.
According to the best football betting sites, Arsenal are 7/2 third-favourites to win the Champions League behind Premier League rivals Manchester City (11/8) and La Liga giants Real Madrid (2/1).
WATCH: Arsenal 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk Champions League Highlights
Arsenal are yet to concede a goal in the Champions League this season thanks to some excellent work between the sticks from David Raya, who has seriously impressed since his initial loan move from Brentford was made permanent.
In the league phase, Arsenal currently sit fourth on seven points – two points behind Aston Villa at the top with nine who have taken maximum points from their outings to date.
Whilst it was a positive result for the Gunners, disappointment surrounded the Emirates when Riccardo Calafiori was forced to be substituted after 72 minutes when he twisted his knee.
Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in three consecutive Champions League games for the first time since November 2007 under Arsene Wenger.
They have also conceded just once in their last six group stage or league phase matches.
The North Londoners are back on winning terms after a shock defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend and they’ll now look ahead to hosting Liverpool on Sunday.