Arsenal trio lose to Atalanta after Mikel Arteta sends message to Ethan Nwaneri | Football

Arsenal were direct and uninspiring in their Champions League opener as they drew 0-0 with Atalanta. Bukayo Saka threatened with a low free-kick in the first half and Gabriel Martinelli fired over the near post in the second, but that was all the Gunners could do in the face of a lacklustre performance from Mikel Arteta’s men.

Atalanta will have to kick themselves in the ass for not conceding as many goals as possible, as Mateo Retegui’s penalty and rebound were both brilliantly saved by David Raya, who single-handedly gave his team a point.

Express Sport brings you four key points from a competition that ultimately saw both sides settle for just one point each to kick off their European campaigns…

Trio dropped

A trip to meet the reigning Europa League champions was never going to be straightforward, but Arsenal had surely hoped to secure a victory over the team currently ninth in Serie A after being beaten twice in four games.

Thomas Partey was error-prone in midfield, losing the ball on countless occasions and almost lost Arsenal the game when his clumsy tackle on Ederson gave Atalanta a penalty.

Martinelli failed to provide enough attacking threat down the left wing and wasted Arsenal’s best chance late on, giving Raheem Sterling and Leandro Trossard hope they could steal his place in the starting XI.

And Gabriel Jesus was largely ineffective in midfield until he and Partey were withdrawn before the hour mark, showing fans why Arteta so regularly favours Kai Havertz as the starting centre-forward.

Arteta sent a message to Nwaneri

The Arsenal manager considered several possible solutions to compensate for the absence of Martin Odegaard. Jorginho and Partey formed a two-man midfield against Tottenham, but in Bergamo it was Havertz who lined up in midfield.

At times he alternated with Jesus, who dropped deep to accommodate taller players who were battling for aerial duels when Arsenal were breaking away. While the plan looked good on paper, it did not result in fluid play from the Gunners.

The idea of bringing in a 17-year-old to replace Odegaard may intimidate Arteta, but young prodigy Ethan Nwaneri is the closest player to matching the profile of his injured Norwegian. And Thursday night’s performance will have sent a clear message to the Gunners boss that he must seriously consider trusting the teenager against Manchester City this weekend after leaving him untouched on the bench in Italy.

David Raya’s Magic Moment

Raya is having a superb season in goal for the Gunners, and his stunning brace against Atalanta may well be his finest feat in an Arsenal shirt. As if diving to the right to save Mateo Retegui’s second-half penalty wasn’t impressive and important enough, Raya made an incredible leap straight to his left to intercept the Italian’s header on the line.

Former Premier League midfielder Robbie Savage said during commentary on TNT Sports that it was one of the best saves he’s ever seen – and it’s hard to disagree.

The bet is in favour of Manchester City

While the Champions League opener is a big deal, Arsenal fans will certainly have their minds on Sunday’s Premier League clash against City.

Arteta could have rested his big stars in Italy to keep them fit for the weekend, but the Spaniard took the risk of fielding the strongest possible team. It was not enough for the Gunners to claim all three points, and City, who had an extra day’s rest after their draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday, must have been delighted to see their next opponents face a tough test away from home.