Arsenal have been dealt a major injury scare after Bukayo Saka limped out of the north London derby. With the Gunners leading 1-0, the forward went to ground in the 85th minute and appeared to clutch both of his legs before receiving treatment.
Around two minutes later he got to his feet and duly limped off, replaced by 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri.
Saka then watched on from the bench as Arsenal held on to a vital win, but his apparent injury will have tainted an otherwise superb day for Mikel Arteta’s side.
In his post-match press conference, the Spaniard admitted he was unsure about the exact nature of the problem. “I don’t know,” he said. “I made two changes with the front players and suddenly he’s down. I don’t know exactly what it is but he could not continue.”
The England international looked disconsolate as he left the field, holding his head in his hands. However, he was able to walk over to salute the away fans at the final whistle and celebrate with his team-mates.
Prior to going down, Saka had again played a critical role for the visitors. It was his corner after 64 minutes that was headed in by Gabriel Magalhaes for what proved to be the winning goal.
It meant the 23-year-old continued his run of providing an assist in every club game this season, and is the first Arsenal player to set-up goals in four consecutive Premier League games. He has also been directly involved in more goals against Tottenham (six) than any other team he has faced.
But today’s development will again raise questions about Saka’s workload. After making 47 club appearances in the 2022/23 campaign, he featured in all of England’s matches at Euro 2024 before returning to London in time for the new season.
Arsenal were already without the suspended Declan Rice and injured skipper Martin Odegaard. Summer signings Ricardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino also remain sidelined, the latter yet to appear for his new club after picking up a knock in training following his move from Real Sociedad.
And the timing of this scare could not have come at a worse time for Arteta, with his side opening their Champions League campaign at Atalanta on Thursday. Just three days later, they go to champions Manchester City in a clash already deemed critical in this season’s title race.
The Gunners will travel to the Etihad second in the table, trailing their rivals by two points. Pep Guardiola’s team are the only top-flight club left with a 100 per cent record this season.
