Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White both sustained injuries during their tense 1-0 victory over West Ham United at the London Stadium. The win restored Arsenal's five-point lead over Manchester City with only two matches remaining in the Premier League season, but the injuries cast a shadow over the triumph.
Late drama and controversial VAR decision
Leandro Trossard's deflected strike in the 83rd minute proved decisive for the Gunners. However, West Ham thought they had equalised in stoppage time through Callum Wilson, only for the goal to be disallowed after a lengthy VAR review. Replays showed West Ham forward Pablo with an arm across Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, sparking controversy that could have significant implications at both ends of the table.
The result keeps Arsenal's hopes of a historic double alive, as they close in on a first league title in 22 years. Yet the injuries to Calafiori and White tempered the celebrations.
Injury details
Calafiori was withdrawn at halftime, initially thought to be a tactical change. Arteta later revealed the Italy international had an unspecified problem. White was substituted in the 28th minute after a heavy challenge with Crysencio Summerville, limping off in visible discomfort and replaced by Martin Zubimendi. The England international was later seen leaving the stadium wearing a knee brace.
Asked about White's condition in his post-match press conference, Arteta said: 'We don't know the severity, but it doesn't look good at all. He needs further testing tomorrow, and I will know a bit more.'
Arteta praises team resilience
Despite the setbacks, Arteta lauded his players for their performance against a West Ham side 'fighting for their lives' at the bottom of the table. He singled out Martin Odegaard, who assisted Trossard's goal, and goalkeeper David Raya for special praise.
'What a moment, what an afternoon, what a week it has been for us, full of emotions,' Arteta said. 'I cannot praise enough the attitude, the desire, the courage, and the quality that the team has shown throughout this week because there was so much at stake.'
He added: 'We started the game so well, created three big chances to go in front, and we didn't manage to do that, so we had to keep our heads cool. Then we had the Ben White injury and had to make an adjustment. After halftime, we had to make another one with Riccardo Calafiori's injury.'
'I said to the boys, "We're really going to go for it, so be ready," because if the game was not panning out, we were going to have to change it. The finishers made the difference. Martin had an incredible impact, an action that leaves Leandro in a top position to score the goal. There are then two moments: one is David's save at 0-0, which is the story of the season, and the other was in the most chaotic circumstances when two teams are playing for their lives.'
Looking ahead
With two matches left, Arsenal are on the brink of ending their title drought. Arteta concluded: 'Now we leave and enjoy what we have done today, because as I said it has been an incredible week. Those players, the way they are standing in front of the opportunity and showing resilience is remarkable. We'll recover a little bit and start to prepare for Burnley.'
