Arsenal pick up four injuries vs Palace as damning stat comes to light | Football | Sport
Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday solidified their position as favorites for this season’s Premier League title. Despite a disappointing offensive performance, an acrobatic volley from Eberechi Eze against his former club and another solid defensive display secured all three points.
Mikel Arteta’s men extended their lead at the top of the table to four points, having won 11 of their 13 matches in all competitions while conceding just three goals. In these matches, they have managed an impressive 10 clean sheets, proving that they are currently the best defensive team in Europe. This feat is all the more remarkable given that they faced several teams that they lost points against last season. Now, as Arteta’s men focus on Wednesday’s Carabao Cup encounter with Brighton, we bring you the latest news from Arsenal.
Arsenal’s injuries
The narrow victory against tough opponents at Palace came at a price, as four players were injured to varying degrees during the match. After the match, Arteta confirmed he had to replace William Saliba, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori due to injuries.
Saliba was replaced by Cristhian Mosquera at the break, while Rice was injured in the closing stages.
The Arsenal midfielder was replaced by Mikel Merino after receiving treatment from the team physio, and Calafiori was also withdrawn at the same time, with Piero Hincapie making his Premier League debut from the bench.
“William Saliba felt some pain. Declan (Rice) was the same,” Arteta told Sky Sports. Speaking to the media, he added: “The first one was Willy, he had come out of a blow he had received. And Ricci too.
“With Declan, I don’t really know because it was a blow, whether it was a calf or an Achilles.”
Gabriel Martinelli finished the match but also “felt something”, according to the Arsenal manager. He continued: “Yeah, I think (Martinelli is fine). He said he felt something, we don’t know if it’s a muscular problem or not.”
Regarding statistics
The Gunners hope history does not repeat itself after a worrying statistic emerged following Palace’s victory. With Arsenal now on 22 league points, it is the seventh time the north Londoners have reached this total after nine matches.
Yet they remarkably only won the title in one of those campaigns despite their frequent impressive starts, namely the Invincibles’ 2003/04 season. Arsenal have therefore earned the unwanted label of being almost men in recent years, having come very close to winning the Premier League crown in several of those campaigns before collapsing later in the season.
These seasons include the 2002/03, 2004/05, 2007/08, 2013/14 and 2022/23 campaigns. However, Arteta’s current side are significantly stronger and better prepared to deal with injuries than in the 22/23 season, when Saliba’s absence cost them the title. Considering that and the fact that their rivals aren’t at their best, this could be the season where Arsenal finally end their 21-year drought.