Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has shed light on the chances of Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori making a comeback against Fulham this Sunday after they sat out the impressive 2-0 home victory over Manchester United.
Goals from Jurrien Timber and William Saliba, both coming from set pieces, clinched an essential win over Ruben Amorim's rejuvenated United squad at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
Even without Gabriel and Calafiori, who picked up niggles in the resounding 5-2 victory at West Ham and were not risked against the Red Devils, the Gunners' defense shone brightly.
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The absence of two key defenders in such a pivotal match might have sparked concern among the Arsenal faithful, but Arteta has put those worries to rest. Post-match, he clarified his stance, explaining: "With Gabi, it would've been a big risk to play him today because he felt something against West Ham. Sunday is a possibility, same with Ricci [Calafiori] as well."
With Gabriel and Calafiori unavailable, Jakub Kiwior stepped up as centre-back while Oleksandr Zinchenko slotted into the left-back role, contributing to a solid clean sheet. Despite both not having started for Arsenal recently, Arteta lavished praised on the duo, affirming his trust in their abilities to step up when called upon.
"Big credit to Jakub and Alex," he said. "It's the first start for Jakub after a long time. You have to be strong against this kind of opposition and front players. The same as Alex and they did magnificently well. Great. We trust them. They prepared so well, they had the opportunity, they grabbed it with both hands, so happy for the team."
The Gunners, who are now up to third in the Premier League, earned credit for scoring two more goals from corners against United.
They've now netted 22 times from corners since the start of last season. Arteta was asked if teams were afraid to concede corners against the Gunners because of how dangerous they are from the dead ball situation.
"I don't know," he replied. "We work on what we work. Attacking the box in various ways. This a way we attack the box and we are very efficient. We will find ways to keep improving."