Winners
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Of all the performances on the night, Oleksandr Zinchenko certainly stood out for his second-half display in particular. He provided the directness that Arsenal were lacking for most of the evening with central passes and swift turns around and into threatening positions.
It was obvious that where typically he might be one of the Arsenal players to be brought off, his performance made that nearly impossible to do. It is good to have him back and he stepped up for the final 45-plus minutes.
Shakhtar Donetsk
If there’s one certain winner from the evening it will be Shakhtar Donetsk. Mykhaylo Mudryk remains the firm priority for the Gunners as talks over a deal continue as the Ukrainian side try to get maximum value for the 21-year-old.
READ MORE: Arsenal concerns over Mykhaylo Mudryk transfer eased after £72m misconception is disproven
Seeing Arsenal have very little in terms of offensive variety to bring on will only strengthen their negotiating position. That said, there’s the hope that the result might spark Arsenal into a more aggressive stance on the move.
Manchester City
Although they are yet to play in this 18th gameweek (and their opponents are Chelsea), Manchester City will be delighted to finally see Arsenal drop points. After a surprise draw with Everton, the Gunners’ title rivals will again try to hunt them down, as Erling Haaland put it, with a win on Thursday to close the gap to just five points.
Bukayo Saka and William Saliba
Aside from their performances which again were mixed with positives and negatives, they come out unscathed from a vicious referee. Both managed to avoid picking up their fifth yellow card, meaning they will be available for the north London derby.
Losers
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta struck an angry and frustrated figure, and this draw will certainly feel like a big loss to him. Speaking after the game, Arteta was convinced that his side had not received fair treatment in two penalty claims and described the decision making "scandalous".
It isn’t the best look, but certainly there’s sympathy for his anger after referee Andy Madley had quite frankly one of the worst officiating performances I’ve seen. Arteta's side needs to wash this off and go again to try and get a big win at their arch-rivals for the first time under his tenure in just over a week-and-a-half.
Aaron Ramsdale
Although Aaron Ramsdale didn’t cost his side tonight, he nearly did. Question marks were raised in the game against Brighton for the second goal, and the former Sheffield United stopper will begin to feel the pressure if further eyebrow-raising moments occur.
The worst thing a goalkeeper can do is begin to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of those watching. It is very hard to dig that out once it is ingrained and a strong run of displays are now a necessity for the England international.
The substitutes bench
Arsenal look light, very light. Both Marquinhos and Fabio Vieira were unused substitutes in a game that Arsenal needed a goal. A £34million goalscoring midfielder was not opted for in a match that seemed like the side needed that reinforcement.
Although, who Vieira would replace is a good question with Gabriel Martinelli perhaps the obvious candidate followed by some reshuffling which Arteta is not particularly a fan of. Arsenal need signings and ideally to come ahead of their next game.
READ NEXT:
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