Arsenal latest: Gunners pick up four new injuries as damning stat comes to light

Arsenal's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday has bolstered their standing as this season's Premier League title favourites. Despite a disappointing attacking performance, an acrobatic volley from Eberechi Eze against his former club and another solid defensive display secured the three points.

Mikel Arteta's men extended their lead at the top of the table to four points, having claimed victory in 11 of their 13 matches across all competitions while only letting in three goals. In those games, they've managed an impressive 10 clean sheets, proving they are currently the best defensive team in Europe. The achievement is even more remarkable considering they've faced several teams they dropped points to last season. Now, as Arteta's men shift their focus to Wednesday's Carabao Cup encounter with Brighton, we bring you the latest news surrounding Arsenal.

Arsenal's injury woes

The narrow victory over tough opponents in Palace came at a price, as four players suffered injuries of varying degree during the game. Post-match, Arteta confirmed that he had to replace William Saliba, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori due to injuries.

Saliba was substituted for Cristhian Mosquera at the break, while Rice suffered an injury in the closing stages.

The Arsenal midfielder was replaced by Mikel Merino after receiving treatment from the team physio, and Calafiori was also withdrawn at the same time, with Piero Hincapie making his Premier League debut from the bench.

"William Saliba felt some pain. Declan [Rice] was the same," Arteta said to Sky Sports. Speaking to the media, he added: "The first one was Willy, he was out from a knock that he took. And Ricci too.

"With Declan I don't really know because it was a knock, whether it was a calf or an Achilles."

Gabriel Martinelli finished the game but also "felt something", according to the Arsenal manager. He continued: "Yeah I think [Martinelli is okay]. He said he felt something, we do not know if it is a muscular issue or not."

Concerning stat

The Gunners will be hoping history doesn't repeat itself after a concerning statistic emerged following the Palace victory. With Arsenal now on 22 points in the league, it marks the seventh occasion the north Londoners have reached this tally after nine matches.

Yet, they have remarkably only claimed the title in one of those campaigns despite their frequent impressive starts, that being the 2003/04 Invincibles season. Arsenal have therefore earned the unwanted tag of being nearly men in recent years, having come tantalisingly close to securing the Premier League crown in several of those campaigns before falling away later in the season.

Such seasons include the 2002/03, 2004/05 2007/08, 2013/14 and 2022/23 campaigns. However, Arteta's current squad is significantly stronger and better prepared to handle injuries than in the 22/23 season, when Saliba's absence cost them the title. Given this and the fact their rivals are not performing at their best, this could be the season Arsenal finally end their 21-year drought.