Arsenal dropped points for a fourth successive Premier League game as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Gabriel Martinelli’s strike was cancelled out by Pedro Neto to ensure both sides shared the spoils.
To rub salt into the Gunners’ wounds, there were two injury concerns which emerged during the game. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice had to be forced off in the second half and Mikel Arteta revealed that the situation is ‘not good’ for either player.
In his post-match interaction with Sky Sports, the Arsenal coach said (h/t 90min),
“They [Saka and Rice] don’t look very good. I don’t know [if it’s long-term]. They both couldn’t finish the game, so not good.”
Saka suffered an injury in the previous international break and consequent to that, he missed some action for Arsenal a few weeks ago. Rice was also on the treatment table over the last week or so and missed the team’s trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League due to a reported broken toe.
It remains to be seen whether Saka and Rice have aggravated their old injuries or if they picked up fresh knocks, but their withdrawals against Chelsea on Sunday will come as a huge concern to Arteta.
Further worry for Arsenal
With Martin Odegaard having recovered, it seemed like Arsenal were finally starting to see the back of their injury woes. However, the recent setbacks to Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice suggest otherwise.
Arteta can continue to employ his double pivot in Rice’s absence with Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey still at his disposal, but Saka’s absence is seismic given that he has no like-for-like replacement in the squad. Raheem Sterling is capable of playing on the right flank but has not impressed since joining Arsenal from Chelsea.
The Gunners face fifth-placed Nottingham Forest in the Premier League after the international break before hitting the road in the Champions League to face Sporting Lisbon. With two difficult fixtures on the horizon, Arteta will hope that his key players are not seriously injured.
Rice and Saka will undergo further assessment to determine the severity of their injuries but Arteta went on to suggest their pair are unlikely to link-up with England for their upcoming internationals.
