Viktor Gyökeres and Martín Zubimendi both left Arsenal’s 2–0 win over Burnley on Saturday with injury issues, manager Mikel Arteta has revealed.
Goals from Gyökeres and Declan Rice got the job done for Arsenal in convincing fashion, with the Gunners creating a number of good chances from open play which has not always been easy for Arteta’s side in recent weeks.
While the win saw Arsenal move seven points clear at the top of the table ahead of Bournemouth’s meeting with Manchester City on Sunday, it was not all positive for the Gunners. Gyökeres did not return for the second half, before Zubimendi limped off with around 15 minutes remaining.
“Before that I think [Gyökeres] was one of the best games he’s played,” Arteta said. “I think overall his performance was exceptional. A part of the goal, and we had to take him off because he was feeling a little niggle. So we’ll have to wait and see.”
Speaking to Match of the Day, Arteta confirmed Gyökeres’s complaint was muscular. “We have to wait to learn the extent of that,” he concluded.
A similar issue struck down Zubimendi in the second half, with Arteta adding: “He asked to be subbed, so we’ll have to wait and see.
“Muscular, yes. I don’t know. Muscular, yeah.”
Arteta: Best Half of the Season, Gyökeres’s Best Game
While Arsenal’s control of the game faded in the second half, they rarely felt under pressure as they comfortably repelled Burnley’s threat. That defensive performance pleased Arteta, but the boss wanted to keep the focus on the dominant nature of their first-half showing, led by Gyökeres in attack.
“His high press, his position and his touches, his threat in behind, the way he linked play, the way he gets us from these situations to transition moments…” Arteta beamed. “A lot. I think he was in a really good moment. It’s a shame that he felt something.
“I think we started the game exceptionally well. I think the first half was one of the best that we’ve played. Scored two goals, generated another two or three big chances and conceded nothing.
“That was a platform because in the second half we dropped the standard, especially with the ball and with our intentions to take more risks, to play more forward. But again, defensively, we were exceptional.”