Arsenal were unspectacular but ultimately effective in their 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, which came at a cost as four players were injured in the game
07:00, 28 Oct 2025
Mikel Arteta has big injury worries at Arsenal
View 2 Images
Mikel Arteta has big injury worries at Arsenal
Arsenal's 1-0 triumph over Crystal Palace on Sunday has bolstered their position as this season's Premier League title frontrunners.
The Gunners' attack may not have been spectacular, but an acrobatic volley from Eberechi Eze against his old club and another solid defensive display were enough to bag all three points. Mikel Arteta's squad extended their lead at the top of the table to four points, having clinched 11 victories in their 13 matches across all competitions while only letting in three goals.
In these games, they've managed a remarkable 10 clean sheets, demonstrating that they're currently the best defensive team in Europe. This achievement is even more noteworthy considering they've faced several teams they lost points to last season and they are now huge favourites to lift major silverware this season under Arteta.
Now, as Arteta's men shift their focus to Wednesday's Carabao Cup face-off with Brighton, here's all the latest updates from the Emirates.
Injury concerns
Mikel Arteta
View 2 Images
Mikel Arteta gave an update on Arsenal's injuries
The slim victory over tough rivals Palace came with a price, as four players suffered injuries of varying severity during the match.
Post-match, Arteta confirmed that he had to replace William Saliba, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori during the game due to injuries, reports the Mirror.
Saliba was hauled off for Cristhian Mosquera at the interval, whilst Rice collapsed with an injury in the final moments. The Arsenal midfielder was replaced by Mikel Merino after receiving treatment from the team physio, and Calafiori was also withdrawn simultaneously, with Piero Hincapie making his Premier League bow from the bench.
Arteta told Sky Sports: "William Saliba felt some pain. Declan [Rice] was the same." Speaking to the media, he added: "The first one was Willy, he was out from a knock that he took. And Ricci too.
"With Declan I don't really know because it was knock, whether it was a calf or an Achilles."
Gabriel Martinelli completed the match but also "felt something", according to the Arsenal manager. He added: "Yeah I think [Martinelli is okay]. He said he felt something, we do not know if it is a muscular issue or not."
Worrying pattern
The Gunners will be praying history doesn't repeat itself after a troubling statistic surfaced following the Palace victory.
With Arsenal now sitting on 22 points in the league, it represents the seventh occasion the north Londoners have reached this tally after nine matches.
Yet, they have remarkably only claimed the title in one of those campaigns despite their commanding beginnings, that being the 2003/04 Invincibles season.
Article continues below
Arsenal have consequently earned the unwelcome tag of being nearly men in recent years, having come tantalisingly close to securing the Premier League crown in several of those campaigns before falling away later in the season.
These seasons include the 2002/03, 2004/05, 2007/08, 2013/14 and 2022/23 campaigns. However, Arteta's team is now significantly stronger and better prepared to handle injuries than in the 22/23 season, when Saliba's absence cost them the title.
Considering this and the fact that their rivals are not at their peak this term, this could well be the season that Arsenal break their 21-year drought.