Eventually, Gunners substitute Gabriel Martinelli broke the deadlock in the 86th minute. The Brazilian international netted a strike thanks to a hefty deflection that came off City centre-back Nathan Ake.
Despite the important win, Mikel Arteta's side seemingly picked up an injury blow in the form of Saliba, who has now withdrawn from France's squad ahead of the upcoming international break. So with that being said, football.london has summarised everything you need to know about the 22-year-old's current fitness status below.
Player's verdict
Despite his injury, Saliba himself took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to comment on Arsenal's victory over Manchester City. "This duo, (heart emoji) #Arsenal," he wrote alongside a picture of himself and fellow centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes embracing on the Emirates Stadium pitch.
The Gunners faithful will be hoping that the young defender's fitness issue is nothing serious, with a huge London derby against Chelsea coming up in a little under two weeks. Mikel Arteta's side have enjoyed a solid record when playing the Blues in recent years, winning home and away against the west Londoners last season.
France decision
Saliba has been forced to pull out of the France national team squad ahead of the upcoming international break. The talented centre-half played the entirety of Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Manchester City, delivering an excellent performance against Citizen's talisman Erling Haaland.
As per Squawka, the 22-year-old won 100% of his duels and completed 97% of his passes, helping Mikel Arteta's side secure their first league win over City since December 2015 But the French Football Federation have now confirmed that Saliba has been replaced by OGC Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo in Didier Deschamps' squad for the ongoing international break.
"Todibo replaces William Saliba. The Nice defender was called in by Didier Deschamps to replace the Arsenal defender, who was injured in his right big toe," the Equipe de France X account announced.
0 Comments