Arteta gives Mosquera injury update after Aston Villa win | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has given an update on Cristhian Mosquera after the defender was forced off during Arsenal’s 1-0 win away at Aston Villa.

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Mikel Arteta has played down concerns over Cristhian Mosquera after the defender was forced off during Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa on Monday evening.

Mosquera went down feeling his left hamstring before being replaced by Ezri Konsa with 79 minutes on the clock.

At his post-match press conference, Arteta said: “He’s fine, but he was feeling like he was about to have something, and that’s why we have the bench that we have, and that’s why we had to bring Ezri in.”

By then, Arsenal were already ahead, Bukayo Saka having scored the decisive goal in the 59th minute from close range after Riccardo Calafiori’s low cross.

Ebere Eze was involved in the build-up as Arsenal secured their second league win and second clean sheet of the season. Villa, meanwhile, are yet to have a shot on target this season.

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It was a physically demanding contest, to put it mildly. Villa committed 17 fouls, compared with Arsenal’s six, and were lucky not to see a number of red cards.

Saka alone was fouled six times but Jarred Gillett, who seemed to take against Christos Tzolis, booking him early and even giving him a talking to after he had been fouled again, gave neither any protection.

Arsenal were forced to hook Tzolis at half-time with John McGinn and the home crowd doing their best to get him a second yellow.

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Arsenal were awarded a penalty in the 54th minute after Maatsen fouled Saka, but VAR established that the foul began outside the area and referee Jarred Gillett correctly changed the decision to a free-kick.

There was a much stronger appeal in the 98th minute when Maatsen (again) scissored Bruno Guimaraes inside the box. It was a stonewall penalty.

Somehow, VAR reviewed the incident and remarkably upheld the on-field decision not to award a penalty.

Match reporting claimed Maatsen won the ball, which he absolutely did not.

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After the game, Calafiori told Arsenal.com, “I think it’s impossible [to know the reason for starting the season well].

“I’m so happy with the clean sheet, especially when I talk with the guys – the defenders – I always say that if we don’t concede, we obviously have much more chance to win the game, and I think we always do so well.

“I’m so tired. At the end of the game, it’s so important for us, especially at a tough place like this one, we just want to win when we come here and we did it.

“In pre-season we were upset, I think we conceded too much, but then as the season started, we have all the players back. We fight, and you see today how we do mistakes sometimes, but how we track back with the runs, it’s unbelievable, and each player, even the attackers, so I’m so happy.”