Bukayo Saka injury scare as Arsenal star limps out of Chelsea clash

Bukayo Saka handed Arsenal another potential injury blow by limping off in their eventful 1-1 draw with Chelsea. A crunching tackle by Marc Cucurella left the winger on his haunches in the final 10 minutes.

Arsenal have struggled with key player absences this season. The Premier League trip to Chelsea saw Martin Odegaard appear in the top-flight for the first time since August after recovering from an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, Declan Rice is playing through the pain barrier having suffered a broken toe last week. Mikel Arteta will therefore be desperate for good news about Saka’s problem.

The 23-year-old attempted to play a one-two with Ben White but was on the receiving end of a clattering challenge by Cucurella. Referee Michael Oliver allowed the phase to play out before issuing the Chelsea defender a yellow card.

Saka attempted to hobble back to his position but he was clearly in pain. He signalled to the substitutes’ bench to get the attention of Arsenal’s medical staff before sitting on the Stamford Bridge turf.

The England winger hobbled off the pitch with his hands over his face. Gabriel Jesus was brought on but was unable to grab a winning goal for the north Londoners, who remain without a top-flight triumph since October 5.

Arteta said afterwards that injuries suffered by Saka and Rice “don’t look very good”. Asked by Sky Sports to confirm if they were long-term issues, the Spaniard responded: “I don’t know. But they both couldn’t finish the game.”

Saka was unable to get the better of Cucurella throughout the game in west London. Arsenal took the lead through Gabriel Martinelli but Pedro Neto equalised for the hosts with a powerful drive from distance.

Kai Havertz had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half and the Gunners squandered several second-half opportunities. Leandro Trossard missed from close range with the final kick of the game, with the Belgian taking a huge chance from Havertz’s grasp.

Arsenal are nine points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool heading into the November international break. Recent defeats against Bournemouth and Newcastle have left Arteta’s side with plenty of work to do over the coming months.

They will have been buoyed by title rivals Manchester City enduring a similarly tough period of form. The reigning Premier League champions were beaten 2-1 by Brighton on Saturday and have now lost their last four matches in all competitions under Pep Guardiola.

A draw between Chelsea and Arsenal leaves both teams third and fourth, respectively, level on 19 points. City, on 23 points, are second while Liverpool’s superb start under Arne Slot means they are top with 28 points.