‘It is never good news’ - Arsenal manager voices frustration after injury to Rice and Mosquera

Goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka secured a 2-0 win, extending Arsenal's unbeaten streak to 18 matches.

The result pushed them five points clear at the top of the table. However, the victory was overshadowed by the growing injury crisis at the club.

Rice was substituted late in the game with an apparent calf problem, while defender Mosquera was replaced by Jurrien Timber just before halftime. 

Arteta argued that the tight turnaround is taking a toll on player welfare across the league, calling for an adjustment.

"It is never good news. Declan had to come off," Arteta said. "He could not carry on playing. He is playing a lot of minutes, but when? Now we play Wednesday night and we have to play Saturday morning as well."

"If they can please give us just a little more time to recover and to make the welfare of these players a little bit easier, that would be great," he continued. 

"It’s not an argument, it’s common sense. At some point, this becomes too much and the players are not machines."

The Gunners' demanding schedule saw them play in the Champions League last week, followed by a trip to Chelsea on Sunday. 

They are now set to face Aston Villa in an early kick-off on Saturday, despite playing Brentford on Wednesday night.