Arsenal believe that they would have won against Aston Villa had Gabriel and William Saliba played | OneFootball

Arsenal suffered their second Premier League defeat of 2025-26 at the hands of Aston Villa on Saturday, and the Gunners now only have a two-point cushion at the top of the table.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his men lost 2-1 to the Midlands club, but there is still a sense of calm at the Emirates Stadium club, according to the Independent journalist Miguel Delaney.

He claimed in his ‘Inside Football’ bi-weekly newsletter today that the Gunners felt the performance was fine and that a win would have been secured if Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba had been in the team.

The Arsenal centre-backs are injured and Arteta was also without Spanish defender Cristhian Mosquera for the trip to Villa Park.

The Gunners deployed Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber at centre-back, and while the duo did not put a foot wrong, they are not as influential as Saliba and Gabriel.

The Brazilian and Frenchman are the first-choice centre-back pairing at Arsenal for a reason, and they are two of the best in their position as they are constant threats at both ends of the pitch.

Saliba has missed the last three league games, while Gabriel has missed the last four league games and could be out of action until January after a knock during the last international break.

The Brazilian suffered an adductor injury in a friendly against Senegal on November 15.

Fortunately for Arsenal, the France international is expected to return to action this month after suffering an unspecified knock in training shortly before the Chelsea game.

The Gunners are back in action on Wednesday with a trip to Belgium to take on Club Brugge before resuming their Premier League campaign on Saturday with a home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Saliba could be available for the midweek trip, and Arteta will be hoping Gabriel also returns sooner rather than later as Arsenal could do with the duo right now.