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Saka scores on return, but Arsenal hit by injury woes

His return was met with a rapturous reception at the Emirates Stadium

Associate Editor

2 MIN READ

Bukayo Saka returned to action for the first time since December

AFP

Bukayo Saka made an instant impact on his return from injury, scoring just seven minutes after coming off the bench to seal Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Fulham.

The Gunners’ ‘starboy’ had been sidelined since December, and his absence had been keenly felt. Arsenal struggled in attack without the England international, with their goals per game, expected goals, and big chances all dropping significantly during his time out.

His return was met with a rapturous reception at the Emirates, and he wasted no time reminding fans of his quality, scoring the decisive goal to secure three crucial points for the Gunners.

“It was a beautiful reaction from our people to show him that love, respect and admiration and he fully deserves,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

“His reaction straight away after scoring was to say thank you to all the sports scientists, physios and everyone who has participated in his recovery. It tells you who he is as a person, so it's impossible not to love him.

“He's trained with us for the last nine days, and he’s been impressive straight away. The problem that we put for him was very demanding by respecting the timeframes because we knew that the moment that we throw him in, he needs to be ready because it's the most important part of the season, so, I'm really pleased with that.”

Despite maintaining their unbeaten home league record against Fulham, Arsenal’s victory was marred by fresh injury setbacks. Key defender Gabriel Magalhães limped off just 16 minutes in with an apparent hamstring issue, while Jurrien Timber was withdrawn in the 77th minute after struggling earlier in the match.

With a crucial UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on the horizon, Mikel Arteta now faces an anxious wait over the fitness of his defensive options, with Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White already sidelined.

"Gabi felt something in his hamstring,” said Arteta.

“We don't know how big that is and with Jurrien as well. He was already struggling very early in the game. He managed to continue, at some point he couldn't. So that's the downside to it.

"The good thing is that it's been like this the whole season. How we have managed to be where we are with all those injuries, Ben White hasn't participated at all this season. It's what it is.

“You can imagine with those four players in the defensive line in one week. So Calafiori, Ben White, Jurrien and Gabriel. We have still another four that are so willing that they will do their job. We want it so much that we're going to give it a real go and we are very excited for the next week."

While Saka’s return is a significant boost, Arteta will need to manage his squad carefully to ensure they have the best chance of competing on the European stage.

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