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 contest Which saw Gabriel Jesus twice fire the visitors in front either side of Ismaila Sarr's equaliser, with Saka only having 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, Saka 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.
After the match that Arsenal eventually won 5-1Mikel Arteta has refused to offer more than brief fluctuations regarding Saka's fitness. “He felt something,” the Spanish coach said. Today's match After the match. “It's too early to evaluate him. It was more of a precautionary measure with him now.
Leandro Trossard entered the pitch as a replacement for Saka, but did not provide the same guarantee of a finished product. Ahead of Saturday's match, Saka had set 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.