MIKEL ARTETA and Arsenal fans were left scratching their heads after Kai Havertz was denied the chance to make history. The Gunners claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk as a first-half Gabriel Martinelli strike cannoned off the back of goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk and into the goal after hitting the post. 4 Mikel Arteta admitted he was unsure why Kai Havertz did not take the penalty 4 Havertz had the chance to match Thierry Henry's record with a goal Credit: Getty 4 Instead Leandro Trossard stepped up to take it but fluffed his lines Credit: Rex The hosts were on top for most of the game, but had a few late scares.
That could have been avoided when Arsenal were given the chance to double the lead from the penalty spot with 15 minutes to go. A VAR review had revealed that Valeriy Bondar had handled the ball in the box. However, with the North Londoners usual takers Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard sidelined through injury, it was left to a new star to take on the mantle.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL LIM-P DISPLAY Euro giants now bottom of league with 'world's greatest stadium' abandoned Havertz, 25, appeared to be the obvious choice, given he had scored 20 of his 21 career penalties. The German was set to match an all-time club record by Thierry Henry by scoring in eight consecutive home games. But surprisingly, it was team-mate Leandro Trossard who stepped up to take the kick.
Yet the Belgian - who was already enduring a below par night - fluffed his lines as his weak strike do.
