Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised his team’s resilience after they secured a 2-1 Premier League win over Brighton despite being hit by fresh injury problems.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Gunners went into the match after suffering a setback in training on Friday, with defender Jurrien Timber ruled out.
Their problems worsened on matchday when Riccardo Calafiori picked up an injury during the warm-up, adding to an already long list of absentees.
With Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera also unavailable, Arteta was forced to reshuffle his defence. Young Myles Lewis-Skelly was handed a starting role at left-back, while Declan Rice was deployed at right-back. Despite the disruption, Arsenal held their nerve to record another narrow league victory.
The win allowed Arsenal to return to the top of the Premier League table after Manchester City had earlier beaten Nottingham Forest. It also marked their third straight league victory by a single-goal margin, underlining their ability to grind out results under pressure.
Arteta said the team’s response to constant injury setbacks showed strong unity and determination.
He said, “What I like is that we are having a lot of issues and we are dealing with it in an incredible way.”
“Yesterday we lost Jurrien and today we lost Calafiori in the warm-up. Declan had to play right-back and you see the performance that he put in. That is the spirit and that is how much our players want it.”
He also praised Rice for accepting an unfamiliar role without hesitation saying, “You speak to Declan and tell him he has to play there and he said ‘Ok. I’m up for the challenge. I’m going to do my best’. That attitude is great to witness.”
Arsenal have struggled with injuries for much of the past year, with Gabriel Jesus only recently returning after a long spell out. Kai Havertz remains sidelined, while Gabriel Magalhaes made his first appearance since early November when he came on in the second half against Brighton.
Arteta said, “At the moment we survive six months, so let’s see. There is another five and a half to go. Hopefully things will get better. We got Gabby back today earlier than expected.”
On the pitch, Arsenal controlled much of the game and went ahead through Martin Odegaard’s first goal of the season. Their lead was doubled after the break following an own goal, but Brighton pulled one back, forcing Arsenal to defend deep in the closing stages.
Goalkeeper David Raya produced a crucial late save to protect the lead, ensuring Arsenal collected all three points.
Arteta said, “We were so dominant, individually and collectively”, while admitting his side should have scored more goals.
Arsenal now turn their attention to a key league clash against Aston Villa on Tuesday, as the title race continues to intensify.
