Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that Bukayo Saka will be sidelined until at least March after undergoing hamstring surgery.
Arsenal moved back into second place in the Premier League table with a 1-0 win over Ipswich at the Emirates. their first game without Sakha since the England winger tore his right hamstring in last weekend’s 5-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Arteta said ahead of Friday’s game that Saka, 23, would be sidelined for “many weeks”, but speaking in the moments after his side secured a win that puts pressure on leaders Liverpool, Arteta gave his star man a grizzly moment.
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Sky Sports News’ Danial Khan and Nick Wright look at how Arsenal coped against Ipswich in their first game without star man Bukayo Saka.
“He had an operation and everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks,” Arteta said.
“It will be more than two months, I don’t know exactly how much longer, it will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, and mobility, it’s very difficult to say.
“Bukayo’s replacement is going to be the team. There were moments when it flowed well tonight and you can see there’s still work to do. But I’m sure we’ll do it on the team and not the individual.”
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Arsenal vs Ipswich Premier League highlights
The length of Sakha’s injury will be a significant blow to Arteta, who is bidding to oversee Arsenal’s first Premier League title in two decades.
In Saka’s absence and in the Gunners’ 2024 final, Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game midway through the opening period.
Gabriel, Havertz and Martin Odegaard missed chances to extend Arsenal’s lead in the second half, but their win moved them within six points of leaders Liverpool, who have played a game more than the Reds, and one point clear of Chelsea. After their boxing match, defeat of the day against Fulham.
Gabriel reacts after heading home from close range against Ipswich
Arteta continued.
“You see teams win by small margins. Today we could have increased that margin, but we didn’t and we held our nerve to defend well in the last few minutes.
“We should have scored more. We had some big openings in the second half, Gabriel’s header from a yard, but the team was consistent and didn’t concede anything and that will always give us a chance to win games.”
Arsenal next play Brentford on New Year’s Day, while second-placed Ipswich, three points adrift of safety, host Chelsea on Monday night.
Ipswich suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat at home to Newcastle in the game that preceded their trip to the Emirates, their fifth defeat in six games.
“It was a good step in the right direction for us,” said boss Kieran McKenna. “We weren’t up to our level against Newcastle. We knew we had to be resilient today and we did.”
Analysis: Arteta has work to do to find a formula without Sakha
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta has promised that Arsenal will be “different” without Sakha, but on this evidence it may take some time to find a working formula in his absence he starts on the side for a long time.
Martin Odegaard scores for Ipswich
Martinelli was chosen to take over as Arsenal’s right-winger, having impressed in the win at Crystal Palace after Sakha came off, but he struggled, failing to register a single shot, create any chances or even dribble.
The goal came from the other end of the pitch when Trossard burst from Ben Johnson and sent a tantalizing cross into the six-yard box where Havertz pounced, but Arsenal continued to direct most of their attacks down the right.
Arsenal sent 49 percent of their attacks down the right flank
Martinelli wasn’t the only one they looked at, with Martin Odegaard offering support and Arteta’s frontline was more fluid than usual, with Gabriel Jesus and Havertz also appearing on the flanks and swapping positions with each other before Jesus was substituted.
Their movement caused problems for Ipswich at times, but Arsenal generally struggled to create chances, barring a spell in the second half when they hit the visitors’ goal.
Havertz is ready to stand up, but others should follow suit
Sky Sports’ Ben Grounds at the Emirates Stadium.
“It’s true that you don’t score five goals every week and there was a certain satisfaction in the home fans’ voices as they chanted ‘1-0 Arsenal’ at the final whistle.
“This turned into a scrappy performance that Mikel Arteta won’t mind in between busy games. Mark this and move on to the next one.
“It’s a game that won’t live long in the memory, but it’s one that Arsenal ultimately won thanks to Kai Havertz’s elusive run on the ball.
“The German was rewarded for not just standing still. His enthusiasm would later lead to a booking, but in Sakai’s absence it was vital that he continued his impressive run throughout 2024.
“His decisive strike was his 24th of the calendar year, just four behind Saka. As long as Starboy is injured, Havertz should continue that streak of finding the net.”
