A series of bad news hits, bringing worry back to Arsenal

Arsenal claimed a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace to reinforce their top spot in the Premier League, yet the celebration was dampened by injuries to four main players, troubling Arteta.

The 1-0 win over Crystal Palace helped Arsenal solidify their position at the top of the Premier League table with a four-point gap over the second place. However, the happiness at Selhurst Park was quickly clouded by a series of injuries that gave coach Mikel Arteta a headache.

The London club earned three points thanks to an own goal by Eberechi Eze, a former Palace player, but the cost was high. William Saliba, Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, and Gabriel Martinelli all faced fitness issues, forcing Arteta to make several forced substitutions.

Center-back William Saliba was taken off after the first half, replaced by Cristhian Mosquera. According to Arteta, the French player was hurt following a heavy collision. By the end of the second half, Declan Rice also could not continue and was substituted by Mikel Merino after medical staff attended to him. At the same time, Calafiori experienced mild pain and was replaced by newcomer Piero Hincapie, who made his Premier League debut.

“William felt pain after a collision. Declan is similar, but it’s still unclear whether it’s a calf or Achilles injury, Ricci also has problems, and Martinelli said he feels some discomfort, but it’s not confirmed if it’s muscular,” Arteta shared after the match.

Arteta mentioned that Martinelli will undergo further examination in the coming days, while Bukayo Saka, who wore the captain’s armband in place of Martin Odegaard, was substituted early to avoid risks.

The English winger recently recovered from illness and had suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the season. “He hasn’t fully trained yet. We’re not sure if Saka has enough fitness, so taking him off was necessary,”the Spanish coach added.

Despite facing an injury crisis, Arteta remained optimistic about the team’s overall performance. “I’m very pleased because this was an important victory against a tough opponent. Arsenal defended excellently today and were very effective in attack. The five substitutes made a big difference. In the Premier League, to win, you have to be excellent in every detail,” he emphasized.