Arsenal have been dealt a major injury scare ahead of their upcoming Christmas fixtures, with Bukayo Saka forced off the pitch during their match against Crystal Palace.
The England international appeared to injure his right hamstring while delivering a cross just after the 20-minute mark, before sitting down on the turf.
After receiving treatment from Arsenal’s physio for several minutes, Saka headed straight down the tunnel, raising concerns about the severity of the injury.
He was replaced by Belgian forward Leandro Trossard.
Saka’s withdrawal was a significant blow for Arsenal, who were leading 2-1 at the time, thanks to a brace from Gabriel Jesus.
The Gunners have a tough run of fixtures over the festive period, with matches against Ipswich Town, Brentford, and Brighton in the Premier League.
Heading into the weekend, Arsenal were six points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand on Mikel Arteta’s side.
After coming agonizingly close to winning the Premier League title in the past two seasons, Arteta and his players understand that the upcoming Christmas-to-New Year stretch offers a crucial opportunity to close the gap on the Reds.
Fresh off a midweek hat-trick, Jesus put Arsenal ahead early at Selhurst Park, only for Ismaila Sarr to equalise five minutes later.
Jesus would soon restore Arsenal’s lead with a powerful finish from a half-cleared corner, before Kai Havertz added a third just before the break, following a header from Jesus that hit the far post.
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