Mikel Arteta had promised this week would be a test of how much Arsenal have improved this season, but this dismal performance shows they still have a lot to work on.
But after overcoming the first hurdle against Tottenham on Sunday, they faced a disjointed Champions League opener in which the absence of captain Martin Odegaard was sorely felt and they needed a miraculous double save from David Raya to save them from defeat.
Looking back, the Arsenal manager will be pleased to return to London with a point after having been outplayed by Atalanta on a number of occasions, but it could have been better had Gabriel Martinelli not missed a golden opportunity to snatch victory with 10 minutes to go. Arteta stressed before kick-off that Sunday's game against Manchester City would not influence his squad selection, but with Odegaard still sidelined, he opted for Gabriel Jesus up front, back from a groin injury, and asked Kai Havertz to provide the creative spark to support the Brazilian striker.
Their record of three losses in five away games in Europe last season contrasts with their domestic record of winning all but one 0-0 draw at Manchester City in March. It will be no easy task facing an Atalanta side who, just 120 days ago, enjoyed the club's greatest European night in beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.
Gian Piero Gasperini's side will be competing in the Champions League for the fourth time, having taken points from Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool on the previous three occasions. The home fans chanted “We are here” before kick-off at the stadium, which has just completed a £100 million renovation.statue of liberty“(It's free to dream.)”
It took just five minutes for Havertz to make an impact. He linked up with Bukayo Saka and broke into the area before firing a weak right-footed shot wide. Saka was pulled back by Ederson and came very close to scoring, before curling a free-kick round the Atalanta wall and into the bottom corner.
Marco Carnesecchi got a good touch on the ball and the Atalanta goalkeeper reacted quickly to deny Thomas Partey, before Martinelli fired a shot across goal after some better build-up play as Arsenal looked to extend their lead.
Atalanta struggled initially to get out of their own half, but Ademola Lookman, deployed by Gasperini as a no.10, was a threat whenever he had the ball. Charles De Ketelaere had the home side's first good chance to score, but his left-footed shot went wide. Their adjustment after a slow start could be seen by the fact that by the 35th minute they had completed significantly more passes than Arsenal, although they were yet to test Raya.
Meanwhile, Jesus, starting for the first time since the end of April, twice squandered the ball just as Arsenal were about to mount a fightback and Arteta looked to have a lot to think about as he headed for the tunnel at half-time.
Arsenal's players came together just before the start of the second half and got off to a terrible start, with Partey fouling Ederson in the centre circle before again coming face to face with the Brazilian on the edge of his own penalty area.
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While there was little evidence of actual contact, there was no doubt that Partey's tackle was clumsy and referee Clement Turpin quickly called for a penalty kick.
Raya ran to Arsenal's goalkeeping coach, Iñaki Caña, for advice while the decision was being confirmed by VAR. Whatever he said, his judgement clearly paid off, as the Spain goalkeeper parried Mateo Letegui's initial shot and then managed to deny the penalty taker's header with a brilliant full-stretch save on the goal-line.
Arteta quickly responded by replacing Partey and Jesus with Jorginho and Leandro Trossard but the team still could not regain the initiative. Instead, another substitute, former Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado, had the next shot on goal but his long-range shot was too high.
The Colombians went even closer soon after, while Raheem Sterling, who was introduced late on to become the first Englishman to play for four different clubs in the tournament, made an almost immediate impact when he received a pass from Havertz and slotted it past Martinelli.
But the Brazilian wasted a shot, shooting high and wide, much to the disappointment of the visiting supporters behind the goal, and Arsenal, bruised but not defeated, went into the showdown with City.
