Arsenal went four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, but the win came at a cost, with William Saliba and Declan Rice the main concerns
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that he had to substitute William Saliba, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori against Crystal Palace due to injuries, while Gabriel Martinelli is also a concern. The Gunners beat Crystal Palace 1-0 thanks to Eberechi Eze’s goal against his former club, but the victory was bittersweet due to the injuries sustained on Sunday afternoon.
Saliba was replaced by Cristhian Mosquera at half-time before Rice went down injured in the closing stages. The Arsenal midfielder was substituted for Mikel Merino after being attended to by the physio, while Calafiori was also withdrawn at the same moment, with Piero Hincapie making his Premier League debut off the bench.
“William Saliba felt some pain. Declan [Rice] was the same,” Arteta said to Sky Sports. Speaking to the media, he added: “The first one was Willy, he was out from a knock that he took. And Ricci too.
“With Declan I don’t really know because it was knock, whether it was a calf or an Achilles. Yeah I think [Martinelli is okay]. He said he felt something, we do not know if it is a muscular issue or not.”
Arteta added that Martinelli will have to be checked over by the club’s medical staff, while Saka was taken off for the Brazilian in the second half in order to avoid any injuries having been ill recently. The winger, who captained the side in the absence of Martin Odegaard, has struggled with a hamstring injury earlier this season.
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“He [Saka] has been ill,” Arteta said. “He has not trained and we did not know if he was going to be fit.”
The array of injuries are an obvious concern for Arteta, but the Arsenal manager does now have the luxury of a deeper squad which could allow him to sustain their title charge without some key players.
“I’m really happy because we knew the difficulty of the match,” he told Sky Sports. “It was a crucial win against a good side. Today we were clinical and defensively excellent. No one really generates big chances against them with the way they set up.
“They (players) earned it. The way they compete and play, the way they want to win, it’s amazing. The five [substitutes] that came on today made a big difference again. You see the other results in the Premier League…you have to be so good to win.”
Arsenal are four points clear at the top of the Premier League table, ahead of Bournemouth in second and Sunderland in third. Title rivals Manchester City are fourth, six points behind, while defending champions Liverpool are seven points adrift of Arteta’s side.
The Gunners face Brighton next in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday before travelling to Burnley in the league next weekend. A Champions League game against Slavia Prague and a visit to Sunderland follow before the next international break in November.
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