Declan Rice was absent from Arsenal's matchday squad for the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Crystal Palace but looked to be very much involved in the victory at Emirates Stadium.
The midfielder suffered a minor injury in the draw against Everton last weekend which made him a significant doubt for the cup tie, despite Arteta's promising update. "He's [Rice] fine," the Arsenal boss revealed on Tuesday. "We will make the decision on whether he's available or not."
That team selection call quite clearly was to leave him out of the 21-man squad with Kieran Tierney, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri among the fringe players named in the starting XI. Rice was one of six senior stars missing with goalkeeper Neto ineligible, while Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori were unavailable due to minor issues.
Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White however, are expected to remain out for the next few months as they both recover from knee injuries. With four full-backs missing, Thomas Partey and Myles Lewis-Skelly have been deployed there while Jurrien Timber has recently played in every position across the back four.
Though the likes of William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard came off the bench, the influential trio were able to get somewhat of a rest before being required to help Arsenal overturn the deficit. Gabriel Magalhaes also came on for the final few minutes having only just returned from injury this past weekend.
While all four of those names contributed to the comeback, it was Gabriel Jesus that starred with his second-half hat-trick helping the Gunners seal a spot in the semi-finals. Rice was among those to show his love for Jesus as he, via Instagram stories, wrote: "you deserve this brother! so happy for you [red heart emoji] @dejesusoficial."
Declan Rice sent a message to Arsenal teammate Gabriel Jesus following his match-winning performance
Declan Rice sent a message to Arsenal teammate Gabriel Jesus following his match-winning performance (Image: Instagram / declanrice)
The picture on the background of that emotional message, assuming Rice took it, appears to show him amongst the Arsenal fans inside Emirates Stadium as opposed to behind the bench where injured stars often sit. While he could have been in a private box, it was certainly telling that Rice wanted to be in the thick of the atmosphere.
He was also captured on the touchline ahead of the game and though he seemed to have a great view in the stands, the England international would much rather be on the pitch and the hope is that will be the case against Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday evening.
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.