Why I subbed off Gyokeres at half-time against Burnley — Arteta explains

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that an injury concern was behind Viktor Gyokeres' withdrawal at half-time during the Gunners' 2-0 victory against Burnley on Saturday.

The win at Turf Moor solidified Arsenal's position at the top of the Premier League table and marked their seventh consecutive clean sheet across all competitions.

Gyokeres was instrumental in the first half, opening the scoring in the 14th minute. The Swedish striker headed in from close range after Gabriel Magalhaes redirected a Declan Rice corner into his path.

He also played a crucial role in Arsenal's second goal ten minutes before the break. Gyokeres led a swift counter-attack, delivering a precise pass to Leandro Trossard, whose cross was powerfully headed home by Rice.

Despite his influential performance, Gyokeres did not return for the second half and was replaced by Mikel Merino, sparking concerns among fans.

Speaking after the match, Arteta clarified the situation. "In the first half was one of the best he’s played with us," he said. "He felt something muscular, so we have to wait to learn the extent of that."

Arteta praised his team's dominant first-half display, which laid the groundwork for the victory. "The first half was exceptional, we scored two goals and gave nothing away. That was the platform," he explained. "We had to make a few changes and didn’t have that much control in the second half. Defending was exceptional again; we didn’t give anything."