Arsenal’s injury crisis looks set to deepen after Bukayo Saka trudged off the pitch in his side’s 1-1 draw with London rivals Chelsea.
The Gunners took the lead at Stamford Bridge thanks to a thumping near-post finish from Gabriel Martinelli after the Brazilian was found at the far post by returning captain Martin Odegaard.
It took just ten minutes for Chelsea to restore parity thanks to a mesmerising long-range effort from summer signing Pedro Neto.
Saka posed a threat for the visitors down the right-hand side but man of the match Marc Cucurella largely frustrated the winger with some composed defending.
And he left Arsenal fans with their hearts in their mouths after he was forced off the field following a tackle from the Chelsea man.
Arsenal’s injury crisis looks set to deepen after Bukayo Saka trudged off the pitch
The Englishman engaged in an even battle with Marc Cucurella all match before the Spaniard flattened him with a tackle
National manager Lee Carsley will be among those concerned with Saka’s injury
The England star seemed to be grimacing in pain with what appeared to be an injury to his left leg and he will have national boss Lee Carsley concerned after hobbling off.
The Three Lions have vital Nations League matches against Greece and Ireland coming up in what are the interim boss’s final two games before handing over to new manager Thomas Tuchel.
The tense encounter on Sunday featured a high-quality battle between Saka and Cucurella on the flanks, which the Blues star ultimately came out on top in.
Collecting the man of the match award, the former Brighton man told Sky Sports: ‘[Saka is a] top player, we play a lot of times against each other, big respect and I try hard to do my work.
‘A good battle and hopefully I can do more of this. I try to not give him space, be close to him always, he is a special talent so do my work and help my team by doing my job.
‘Today I gave the best of me and we got a point.’
Arsenal missed a late chance to take all three points in a stalemate which did neither team any real favours with both London sides stranded nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
William Saliba picked up the ball in an uncharacteristic left-wing position and squared it across the face of the box only for the stretching Leandro Trossard to deflect it wide and past his exasperated teammates queueing up behind him.
Captain Martin Odegaard returned from injury but Mikel Arteta still has problems with squad
Gabriel Martinelli fired Arsenal in front against Chelsea but the game ended in a 1-1 draw
Chelsea earned a point after a fine equaliser from former Wolves playmaker Pedro Neto
The much-hyped derby pitted a resurgent Chelsea side against an Arsenal outfit hoping for their first Premier League win in four but the opening period proved to be a turgid affair.
Kai Havertz thought he had given the Gunners a lead over his former team, celebrating enthusiastically after a smart finish only to have VAR judge him to have been in an offside position.
The second-half was slightly more open, particularly after Martinelli’s opener, and after Chelsea’s equaliser the ball was soon in the back of the net again.
Nicolas Jackson ran through on goal and produced a nerveless finished but even he knew he was yards offside, raising questions over why the linesman hadn’t flagged earlier.
Chelsea looked the more likely to score towards the end but Arsenal had the biggest chance of the lot through Trossard in the dying seconds.
After the match, Cucurella added: ‘Tough game, they play with same ideas for a long time but we performed well. Want to win but draw and need to keep going in this way.’
Neto, who saved a point for his new side through his first Premier League goal in a blue shirt, said: ‘In the end we wanted to win but had hard work in front of us, they are a good team, we aren’t as happy as we want to be but it’s a point.
‘Moments of the game I went to him when I should go and hold the ball when I should, it’s reading the game we did really well.
Sunday’s result left Arsenal – and Chelsea – nine points behind league leaders Liverpool
Kai Havertz shushed Chelsea fans after scoring a goal, which was eventually disallowed
Arteta was left frustrated with a draw but will be hoping some injured men return during the international break
‘I think like Marc said we did really well and want to improve. Consistency is important part.
‘Really happy to help the team, this is a group that works really hard every day.’
Mikel Arteta’s afternoon will have been marred somewhat by Saka’s late knock which arose after Cucurella went flying in on the winger.
The good news is he potentially has two weeks to get fit for the Gunners’ next match against high-flying Nottingham Forest on November 23.
Arsenal might have received a boost after their captain Odegaard returned for the London derby but Arteta is still suffering injury headaches across his squad.
Moments before Saka departed, England teammate Declan Rice limped off the pitch and was replaced by Spanish summer signing Mikel Merino in the middle of the park.
Defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu, Riccardo Calafiori and Kieran Tierney all remain out of contention thanks to long-standing issues.
All are expected to be in with a chance, however, of giving the Spaniard a boost by returning after the international break.
