Mikel Arteta expressed deep concern after a key Arsenal player sustained an injury during the intense Premier League title race.
Arsenal secured an impressive 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, narrowing the gap to three points behind league leaders Liverpool. However, the triumph was overshadowed by Bukayo Saka’s exit in the 24th minute due to a hamstring injury.
Saka has been a standout performer this season, contributing nine goals and 13 assists in 24 matches. His injury now raises doubts about his availability for upcoming games.
Adding to Arsenal’s worries, Raheem Sterling also missed the match against Palace after picking up an injury during training.
Gunners boss Arteta said: “He felt something in his hamstring, he couldn’t continue. He will have to be assessed. [I’m] pretty worried about that one.” Asked how long Saka might be sidelined for, Arteta replied: “It’s difficult. They have tested him but it’s very difficult to say how bad it is. We don’t know for how long. To lose two players in 24 hours is not good.
“Unfortunately, with the amount of games that we are playing and with this schedule, it doesn’t surprise me. But the team will react to that. I’m not sure if it’s exactly the same one, or the same leg. It’s the third minor injury; I don’t know how big this one is going to be but he already had two of them.”
Arsenal cruised to a commanding victory over Crystal Palace with a brace from Gabriel Jesus and additional goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, and Declan Rice. While Liverpool’s lead at the top has been reduced, they still hold two games in hand and face Tottenham Hotspur later today.
Meanwhile, Manchester City suffered a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, marking their ninth loss in 12 matches, suggesting a new team could claim the Premier League title this season. Despite this, Arsenal has maintained that it’s too soon to focus on lifting the trophy.
He added: “At the moment, we are not there yet, and they have a few games in hand. It’s so difficult for any team to win it in any competition so anything can happen. We want to put our noses right in there and compete the way we are competing every single game, let’s see what happens. We’re not even halfway!”
