Arsenal emerged victorious against Newcastle United in the Premier League, but it wasn’t entirely plain sailing with Mikel Arteta forced into a tactical change he doesn’t make very often for the Gunners.
It was Arsenal’s probable Player of the Season Declan Rice who got the goal to beat Eddie Howe’s side and secure Champions League football on Sunday evening.
But there were a number of good Arsenal performances. David Raya, in particular, was inspired between the sticks.
However, it wasn’t entirely all positivity in the Premier League fixture. William Saliba was forced off at half-time, which meant the Arsenal manager had to make a change he hasn’t made since October 2023.
Arsenal played without William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes vs Newcastle
With Saliba departing at half-time, this was the first time since October that Arsenal have played part of a Premier League game without either Gabriel Magalhaes or Saliba on the pitch.
This was in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday, October 27th 2024. Saliba was suspended, and Gabriel was off through injury. This was a whopping 203 days ago.
Instead, Riccardo Calafiori was partnered by recent star performer Jakub Kiwior against Newcastle; together, they did an excellent job of stopping the usually rampant Magpies from creating many second-half chances.
It is still unknown how serious the extent of Saliba’s injury is, but Arteta will surely provide an injury update on the Frenchman in due course.
Gabriel has been sidelined for some time now and will not be making another appearance for Arsenal until the 25/26 season.
Saliba made his 100th Premier League appearance for Arsenal
It was a sour end to what should have been a momentous day for the Frenchman. He made his 100th appearance in England’s top flight for the Gunners.
Alas, it’s evident that he will have many more appearances in an Arsenal shirt. The Frenchman has had an impeccable season once more, which has led to links between Saliba and Real Madrid.
However, at this moment in time, it’s not looking like he’s going anywhere. Here’s to 100 more appearances for Arsenal’s towering centre-back.
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