Dodgy penalty as it may have been, home sides in Europe often get them. Few will have forgotten Anfield last April. The situation was the result of William Gallas completely missing the ball on the halfway line. The next time Arsenal had possession they were kicking off after the converted penalty.

Of course the visitors should have been comfortably up after the first half. But when you don’t stick away gilt-edged chances like those enjoyed by Adebayor and Fabregas, then you leave yourself a hostage to fortune.

On the up side, defensively, the side looked more solid than of late. Robin van Persie played most of the game up front from what I could see, so effectively the formation was a 4-4-2 with Denilson nominally covering the left. So the drafting in of Alex Song as the holding midfielder worked ok. You can’t legislate for the kind of misjudgement made by Gallas. The only uncomfortable moment until that point had been the shot against the post that Almunia was caught out by. Low shots from the angle are not his forte, as those with memories of Paris in 2006 will testify.

I’d play Song again on Saturday at Bolton. He seems to have the intelligence to play the position and a run of games can only help him. The absence of Nasri on the left means an attacker often has to drift out of position to compensate, so he can’t come back too soon. Denilson has had a chance to show he is undroppable and failed.

The pundits on Sky were unanimous when asked about Arsenal’s chances. The gist of it was the old mantra about lack of quality in depth in the squad. It’s a familiar notion. Wenger talked in the build up to the game about not buying a Ronaldinho type of player because it would block the development of a Theo Walcott.

Yet I see a manager who has taken the decision not to strengthen his chances of winning. Bewildering. The stats before the match indicated 14 goals for and 1 against in the six competitive matches Wenger’s side has played. Looks very good on paper. But in the closing stages of last night’s game, Arsenal could easily have gone two down had their opponents retained composure on the counter attack.

Still, a draw in the Ukraine is an improvement on previous visits and Arsenal will qualify if they can win their three home games now. Critically, the equaliser will help keep morale in the team up. A defeat would have dented confidence, and one of the reasons Wenger’s team look a bit fragile these days is that confidence has taken a few too many body blows in 2008. Comebacks such as that in Kiev help rebuild it.

Blackburn, Kiev and Bolton always looked like a big ask. It will be interesting to see who plays on Saturday. Wenger will be tempted to rest a couple of players. It will provide another challenge for the depth of the squad if he does. Yet if he retains the same eleven that started against Dynamo, it will be a surefire indicator that the manager does not believe in the depth of his squad either.