‘Arteta is destroying the team I worked so hard to establish; otherwise, how can you bench a world-class player for someone who isn’t even supposed to be playing for Burnley? This is not the legacy I left behind’: Arsene Wenger advises Arteta to sit the £70 million player against Newcastle if he truly wants to win his respect.

Arsenal went into their Champions League Round of 16 first leg match against Portuguese side Porto as clear favourites, thanks to their genuinely remarkable Premier League form.

It’s not that Mikel Arteta’s men were significantly poorer than their opponents; neither team was very strong; they simply couldn’t mount a single serious attack.

The home team had less control of the game, as demonstrated by their 35% possession, but they had the better chances and should have gone ahead 1-0 through Wenderson Galeno in the first half, which he made up for with a 94th-minute wonder shot.

Ultimately, it’s not terminal for the Gunners’ European ambitions, but it’s thrown a kink in the works. While the entire team were awful, two guys were particularly ineffective.

Bukayo Saka’s performance by numbers
Bukayo Saka was the first player who performed noticeably poorly today.

Arsenal’s recent form has been impressive, but his performance against the Dragões was unimpressive and will not enhance his argument for ‘world-class’ credentials.

Simon Collings of The Standard scored the Hale final gem a 5/10 for his performance, describing him as ‘not really in the game very much’ and ‘lacked final product.’

It’s a harsh assessment of the typically excellent 22-year-old, but it’s not unfair, as his game statistics demonstrate.

Gabriel Martinelli’s performance by numbers
While Saka failed to have an effect on the game from the right side, Gabriel Martinelli found it equally difficult to do so from the left.

Unlike his showing against Burnley last time out, the Brazilian was virtually invisible in Portugal, and when he did get the ball, he struggled to do anything with it.

Collings gave the former Ituano man a 5/10 for his performance, describing him as ‘silent for much of the game.’

Despite receiving the same match rating from the Standard journalist, his figures from the night are considerably more concerning than Saka’s.