The night dawned low and Wednesday (23) saw Arsenal extend their winning streak in the European Union with a narrow 1-0 victory over Sacta at their own stadium, however, the joy of the win did not mask the concerns behind it. Left winger Karakoli suffered an unfortunate knee injury during the game and was forced to leave the field of play, and his absence could make next Monday's (28th) early morning Premier League clash at home to Liverpool even tougher.
Arsenal broke a 29-minute goal drought at the start of the game. Gabier Martinelli showed amazing individual ability on the left, breaking through to the center, and although his shot hit the post, luckily the ball rebounded and deftly looped around the fingertips of Sacta goalkeeper Lesnik and crashed into the net.
Midway through the second half, a Sacta player committed a handball foul in the box and VAR technology intervened to allow the referee to make the call, with a penalty kick pointing towards Arsenal. Liandu Dushyat was at the penalty spot and his shot was cleverly blocked by Lesnik's foot, but luck was on Arsenal's side and they were able to hold on for the win until the end.
Nonetheless, Arsenal manager Adi Da has a bitter smile on his face as Caracoli's injury doesn't seem to be an easy one. The Italian international suffered a knee injury in September and this re-injury has forced Adi Da to rethink his tactics. With Kenyo Tomoyasu, Zulian Alba and Kieran Tejani all missing through injury, 18-year-old Liviš Skelly has had to fill in for Caracoli on an emergency basis, and that reflects the serious challenge Arsenal have on the left side of their defense. If Karakoli is unable to make a comeback against Liverpool, Arsenal's back four will face an unprecedented test.
