Mikel Arteta confirms concerning Arsenal injury which made him change plans

Arsenal's resounding victory over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League was somewhat marred by an injury to Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Gunners beat Sporting 5-1 on Tuesday night, producing a performance that Mikel Arteta hailed as the best under his leadership in Europe. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard ensured the away side recorded their third win from five Champions League matches this season.

Sporting came into the match on an unbeaten run of seventeen wins and one draw in all competitions since the start of the season, but were blown away. Arsenal have scored as many goals as in their previous eight Champions League away games combined, but Gabriel's withdrawal is causing concern.

The Brazilian slotted home from Declan Rice's corner to make it 3-0 before half-time, before adopting Viktor Gyokeres' celebration to spark controversy. He had to be replaced by Jakob Kiwior in the 84th minute before Arteta explained the situation in his post-match press conference.

“We had to make the change because he was feeling a little uncomfortable,” he said. “I was about to make the change for Raz [Raheem Sterling]Poor thing, I couldn't make it to the sub. We had to get him out.”

Gabriel has been almost always present at Arsenal this season. He played eighteen games and scored three goals in all competitions. The 26-year-old's partnership with William Saliba has been crucial to Arsenal's success in recent seasons and Arteta will be desperate to have him available for their trip to West Ham on Saturday.

The win lifted Arsenal to seventh in the Champions League and Arteta responded emphatically when asked whether it was the best win of his tenure. “Definitely. Especially against the opponent we played in their house,” he said.

“I don't think they've lost here in 18 months. They were in top form, they were better than anyone they have played here. To play at that level with the fluidity we achieved today, I am very satisfied.”

Asked if it felt like a historic win, Arteta added: “Definitely. Because the performance was there a few times when we played against big teams. We played against PSG and were exceptional again. We played against Bayern and were exceptional.

“But we made some mistakes and that cost us a lot of money. That's the level. We have to be able to deal with it. You have to make it happen. That creates faith. We need that consistency because the ability is there.”

He added: “We were so good. You have to be this good in every department. We also suffered at many points in the match. But we were so effective and efficient when we started attacking the opponent's goal. That was the big difference today.”