Atalanta vs Arsenal live updates: Raya’s heroic penalty save earns goalless draw in Bergamo

Much of the attention heading into today’s game has focused on Arsenal’s absences in Bergamo. Would they cope as well against Atalanta as they did against, say, Tottenham? And what about the attrition effect ahead of Manchester City at the weekend?

Little attention was paid to the players Atalanta was unable to play. Giorgio Scalvini missed the European Championships because of a cruciate ligament tear. Gianluca Scamacca, last season’s top scorer, suffered the same injury during pre-season.

All-round midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who equalled Ruud Gullit’s record for most goals from midfield as a Dutchman in Serie A, was forced to leave for Juventus. And yet Atalanta showed on Thursday why they are still equal to Europe’s elite.

Had Raya not made two saves for Retegui, who had started the season in excellent form, they might have achieved another famous victory in Dublin in May, in addition to those against Liverpool, Ajax and the previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.

Milan aside, the last two nights of Champions League action have been a good example of how competitive Serie A teams are against the Premier League’s top opponents, and this gameweek has shown once again that this was no fluke.

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