LATEST NEWS: Arsenal suffers another setback with Bukayo Saka’s injury following Martin Odegaard’s absence in the North London Derby.
Arsenal have suffered yet another injury setback as Bukayo Saka limped off during their 1-0 victory over Tottenham in the North London derby.
The 23-year-old winger, who provided the assist for Gabriel’s winning goal in the second half, went down in the 86th minute without any contact from a Spurs player. After receiving treatment from Arsenal’s medical team, Saka left the pitch hobbling, exiting from the closest point, and was replaced by 17-year-old prospect Ethan Nwaneri.
During the post-match press conference, manager Mikel Arteta was asked about Saka’s condition. He responded, “I don’t know. I made two changes with the forwards, and suddenly, he was down. I don’t know exactly what it is, but he couldn’t continue.”
Though the extent of Saka’s injury is still unclear, there is concern he may join Martin Odegaard on the injury list. Declan Rice was already absent from the squad against Spurs due to a red card he received prior to the international break, and Odegaard missed out after injuring his ankle while playing for Norway last Monday.
Several other players were unavailable for Arsenal’s derby victory, including Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Kieran Tierney. Fortunately, their absences did not affect the outcome, as Arsenal secured three crucial points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Gabriel netted the decisive goal, rising above defenders to head in Saka’s corner midway through the second half.
It was an impressive away performance from Arsenal, who have now earned 10 points from their first four matches, positioning them second behind Manchester City. Their next challenge is a trip to the Etihad Stadium next Sunday, which is shaping up to be a pivotal clash at the top of the Premier League table.
Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, praised Arsenal’s resilience, saying, “It was a really impressive day for Arsenal. ‘One-nil to the Arsenal’ is an old chant, and it reflects their ability to go away, be tough to beat, and show the intelligence to manage a win. I enjoyed it—a different kind of victory for Arteta, but one that deserves a lot of credit.”
Arsenal still have six matches to play before the October international break. They face Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday, followed by the trip to Manchester City next weekend. After that, four consecutive away fixtures are on the horizon against Bolton, Leicester, Paris Saint-Germain, and Southampton.