Walcott had given the visitors an early lead but a Craig Eastmond own goal, on his European starting debut, levelled matters before former Gunner Eduardo struck a winner just before half-time.

It meant Shakhtar drew level with Arsenal at the top of Group H, while extending their unbeaten home run to an impressive 49 games.

"It's a tough place to come to. They have a good home record," Walcott told Sky Sports 2.

"You want an early goal. We wanted to silence the crowd and work from there, but that's football in the end.

"Going in a 2-1 down, it could have been more for them. We didn't defend very well after going ahead.

"My goal doesn't mean anything because we couldn't quite get the win. But we're still in a strong position. We're still top."

Speaking about his 10th-minute strike, which Walcott took early after making a quick break, he added: "I felt the keeper wasn't quite set and I took him by surprise. That's something I've been practising and it came off.

"I always feel now I'll score them."