Arsenal win but Xhaka picks up injury
Arsenal emerged triumphant from the North London derby courtesy of a first half blitz that saw them take a 3-0 lead by half-time, eventually emerging 3-1 victors.
Roared on by a jubilant home crowd, Emile Smith Rowe opened the scoring, arriving late to turn in a Bukayo Saka cross. It was then Smith Rowe’s turn to provide for his teammates, finding Aubameyang who made it 2-0 after just 25 minutes.
0⃣4⃣ passes
1⃣5⃣ seconds
0⃣1⃣ knee slideLiquid football 😍 pic.twitter.com/wo4M4g3esJ
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 26, 2021
It got better yet, as Bukayo Saka got his name on the scoresheet before halftime, which saw some Spurs fans refuse to take their seats for the second half.
However, the enjoyable day was ruined was blotted somewhat by an injury to Granit Xhaka in the build-up to Tottenham’s goal, with Lucas Moura catching the Swiss midfielder on the knee completely accidentally, which resulted in him being unable to carry on.
Initial expert diagnosis suggested that his presence on the pitch at full time was a good sign for the Swiss captain, who had only just returned from suspension.
Granit Xhaka update: He was on the pitch for post-game celebrations and looked to be walking ok. Doesn’t mean he’s out of the woods but it’s a good sign.
— Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) September 26, 2021
Xhaka diagnosis
Today, however, the diagnosis took a turn for the worst.
Firstly, an image circulated showing Xhaka in a full protective brace.
Doesn’t seem great pic.twitter.com/81NG4FcA5a
— JB™️ (@gunnerpunner) September 28, 2021
Then, as per football London correspondent Chris Wheatley, a diagnosis emerged.
According to Andreas Boeni, Granit Xhaka suffered a “ruptured inner ligament in his right knee”, which will see him ruled out for between six and eight weeks.
Granit Xhaka has suffered a ruptured inner ligament in his right knee, according to @AndreasBoeni.
Initial diagnosis suggests he’ll be out for at least 6 to 8 weeks. #AFC
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) September 28, 2021
This means that Arsenal will be without their Swiss star until mid-November at the earliest, leaving Thomas Partey as the senior midfielder in Mikel Arteta’s ranks.
Read more:
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Brighton vs Arsenal odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
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| Brighton | 5/1 | 4/1 |
| Arsenal | 4/1 | 3/1 |
| Draw | 7/2 | 8/1 |
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Liverpool FC | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 6 | 10 | 13 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 6 | 8 | 13 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 6 | 5 | 13 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | Brentford FC | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | 6 | -5 | 9 |
| 11 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | -5 | 9 |
| 12 | Watford FC | 6 | -2 | 7 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 6 | -3 | 7 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 6 | -2 | 6 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 6 | -3 | 6 |
| 16 | Southampton FC | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | 6 | -7 | 3 |
| 18 | Leeds United | 6 | -8 | 3 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 6 | -6 | 2 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 6 | -14 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 5 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 4 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ritchie, Matt | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Gudmundsson, Johann | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Duffy, Shane | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 3 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| King, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 2 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
