Arteta praises resilient Arsenal despite mounting injuries

Mikel Arteta commended Arsenal for maintaining their Premier League title push amid ongoing injury woes, following a hard fought 2-1 victory over Brighton on Saturday.

The team suffered a blow with Dutch defender Jurrien Timber getting hurt during Fridays training session.

Compounding the issue, Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori sustained an injury in the warmup ahead of the Brighton match, adding to the squads list of absentees.

Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera were unavailable too, leading to Myles Lewis Skelly stepping in at left back while England midfielder Declan Rice filled the right back position.

Overcoming these setbacks, Arsenal secured their third consecutive narrow league win, regaining the top spot from Manchester City, who had edged Nottingham Forest 2-1 earlier that day.

Arteta lauded the teams unity and determination in tough times, stating: "I appreciate how we are handling numerous challenges remarkably well.

"We lost Jurrien yesterday and Calafiori today during warmup. Declan shifted to right back and delivered an outstanding display. That shows the drive and commitment from our players.

"When I informed Declan of the change, he simply replied 'Fine, Ill take it on and give it my all'. Its inspiring to see that mindset."

Arsenal have faced persistent injury problems across the past 18 months, with Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus having just returned after nearly a year sidelined.

We endured the pressure

Kai Havertz is still out, but Brazilian centre back Gabriel Magalhaes made a welcome return as a halftime substitute, marking his first game since early November and strengthening Artetas backline.

"Right now we have lasted six months, so well see what happens next. With five and a half months left, fingers crossed for improvement. Gabby rejoined us sooner than anticipated today," Arteta noted.

"We focus on our own efforts, and we are achieving plenty positively. We must improve to build a stronger lead and recover players to keep the squad rotating effectively. Matches every three days will test us."

Arsenal controlled proceedings after Martin Odegaard scored his debut goal of the campaign in the opening period, followed by Georginio Rutter unfortunately netting an own goal to extend the advantage post break.

However, Diego Gomez pulled one back in the 64th minute, forcing David Raya into an excellent stop against Yankuba Minteh right at the end to secure the points.

"Delighted with our showing. We dominated both as a unit and individually, posing constant danger, though the scoreline could have been far more comfortable," Arteta commented.

"Given the chances we created, it ought not to have ended 2-1. But such is the Premier League.

"Their goal came from their initial attempt, and then David made a crucial intervention.

"Everyone craves victory so intensely. We ought to have added a third, altering the dynamic. Instead, we had to dig deep a bit longer."

Arsenal return to the pitch on Tuesday, hosting title contenders Aston Villa in a pivotal encounter at the Emirates Stadium.