1 Striking indecision shows in burdensome attack

Not so long ago Arsène Wenger argued that sharing the goals around the team as a way of replacing Robin van Persie brought something extra. More recently, Arsenal have looked burdened up front. Olivier Giroud, just as he looked to be gaining some form, was demoted back to the bench while Gervinho was given another run out as the falsest of false nines. The Ivorian had the goal at his mercy when Santi Cazorla sliced through the Schalke backline with a dazzlingly disguised pass, but having surged forward, he dithered, attempted a cut back, and the chance vanished. He was eventually replaced by Giroud after a frustrating and ineffective evening.

2 Third time lucky with Huntelaar gifted chances

Schalke sensed fairly quickly that this was an opportunity well worth chasing, as they saw how Arsenal were flat and fumbling for an end product. With André Santos's wanderings leaving spaces to exploit, there was an obvious avenue for attack down the right flank, and when Schalke's energetic Japanese fullback Atsuto Uchida delivered a perfect assist, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar arrived ready to pounce. He looked flabbergasted as he drilled his shot wide. Midway through the second half the Dutchman couldn't find a clean connection when Jefferson Farfan raided down the right again. In the 76th minute, he spun cleverly to steer a clinical shot past Mannone. The soundtrack to the evening had a German accent with the boisterous fans in the blue corner, and Huntelaar gave them something to celebrate.

3 Schalke's skill out wide caused the real problems

With Farfan and Ibrahim Afellay buzzing down the flanks for Schalke, Arsenal had to be on their toes to stem the threat that the visitors posed from wide areas. Unfortunately, they could not muster up much guile in that department. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joining Theo Walcott on the injury list when he pulled up at Norwich last weekend, Arsenal's selection saw Aaron Ramsey as the nominal right-sided attacker. With Lukas Podolski subdued on the other flank, it was a struggle for Arsenal to stretch their opponents and click into attacking gear. They plodded badly.

4 No place for simulation thanks to strong referee

The Swedish referee, Jonas Eriksson, had two split-second situations to deal with, both of which could have easily resulted in a penalty. In the first half, Vito Mannone's attempt to deal with Afellay's run, below, was rash enough that it would not have been a surprise to see a penalty. Eriksson booked the winger, though, and it did seem as if his knees began to buckle before any contact was made. In the second half, Gervinho accelerated into the box and tumbled. He had not been touched, and again the official reached for his yellow card. Two tough calls. Two good calls.

5 Nightmare for Santos as team awaits Gibbs return

Santos has not enjoyed the start to this campaign, with Kieran Gibbs assuming the position as first choice left-back and a driving ban causing some discomfort off the pitch. The Brazilian looked shaky, rusty, and struggled to hold a strong position in his area. An untimely slip late in the game allowed Schalke to plunder a second, killer goal.