Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta gives Bukayo Saka injury update after Leif Davis red card incident against Ipswich Town in Premier League encounter
Updated 20/04/2025 at 19:52 GMT+1
Arsenal followed up their impressive victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final with a 4-0 triumph over Ipswich. However, there was some concern for The Gunners after Bukayo Saka was subbed off early in the second half. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta gave fans an update on his fitness following the full-time whistle, and he said the knock was "nothing serious".
'I don't think it's intentional' - Arteta defends Davis after red-card challenge on Saka
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Mikel Arteta revealed that Bukayo Saka's ankle injury was "nothing serious" following Arsenal's 4-0 triumph over Ipswich.
The England winger was on the receiving end of a high challenge from Ipswich's Leif Davis in the 32nd minute of the clash, resulting in the left-back being shown a straight red card.
Saka persevered until the 57th minute before eventually being replaced by Ethan Nwaneri. After the match, Arteta said that Davis' challenge was dangerous but not intentional.
"He [Saka] was a bit sore, but it's nothing serious, so it's good," Arteta told BBC Sport.
"I haven't seen the slow motion, I've just seen the normal pace image and yeah, he cuts him from the back.
"I don't think it's intentional at all, but it's dangerous because he cannot really react to anything, because you cannot see him coming."
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Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli had already given the visitors a strong lead before the red card, with Trossard netting a second and a deflected strike from Ethan Nwaneri extending Arsenal's lead to 4-0 in the second half.
Several Arsenal forwards have suffered serious injuries this term, including Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, while Saka himself endured around four months on the sidelines with a hamstring issue.
Arteta said he gets particularly concerned when he sees one of his players go down as a result of the injury-hit campaign.
"I do [get concerned]," he said. "Especially with the numbers that we have right now and especially when they are back to goal, because normally it's the moment when the foot is planted, your weight is there, and you cannot really react to it, but he's fine."
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The Gunners stormed into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a 5-1 aggregate victory over defending champions Real Madrid on Wednesday. They will face Paris Saint-Germain for a spot in the final.
Arteta believes his side followed up that display with one of the best 35-minute spells of the season against Ipswich, whose Premier League status is under severe threat, 15 points from safety.
"I think the first 35 minutes is one of the best 35 minutes we played this season," Arteta added.
"We scored two goals [in the first half]; we could have scored three or four to be fair. We really dominated the game. Very high intensity and understanding what we had to do today to win here.
"And after, obviously, when they got the red card, the context of the game changed and we were much in control, scored another two goals, made certain rotations, so overall a very positive afternoon."
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