Arsenal conceded once and could have scored another, but the biggest blow in the opening 25 minutes against Crystal Palace was Bukayo Saka’s injury.
The durable winger has started 16 of Arsenal’s 17 Premier League matches this season, only featuring for the trip to Bournemouth in October. Gunners Lost 2-0 in his absence.
Saka is no stranger to an aggressive approach from opposing defenders, spending large areas of each game to win on the turf. However, the 23-year-old always gets back to his feet, often leading alone ArsenalAttack directions.
During a chaotic match that saw Gabriel Jesus twice fire the visitors in front either side of Ismaila Sarr’s equaliser, Saka only had time to attempt three passes. The last of these brought out Martin Odegaard in the Palace penalty area, but it came at the cost of injury.
After interference from left back Tyreek Mitchell while trying to prevent the striker’s shot, to He remained on the ground and was seen grabbing his hamstring. After a short surprise examination from Arsenal’s medical department, Arteta was forced to remove his star player in the 25th minute.
Leandro Trossard made his way onto the pitch as Saka’s replacement, but did not provide the same assurance of a finished product. Ahead of Saturday’s match, Saka had a team-high five Premier League goals and ten assists at the top of the division.
Despite the deluge of festive matches, there is some time for Saka to recover. Arsenal are next in action against Promotion of struggling Ipswich Town At Emirates Stadium on Friday, December 27. The Gunners next travel to Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium on New Year’s Day before a tough trip to Brighton on January 4.
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