Bukayo Saka will be sidelined until at least March following surgery on his hamstring, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed.
Arsenal moved back up to second in the Premier League table with a 1-0 victory over Ipswich at the Emirates – their first fixture without Saka after the England winger tore his right hamstring in a 5-1 win against Crystal Palace last weekend.
Prior to Friday’s fixture, Arteta said Saka, 23, would be sidelined for “many weeks”, but speaking in the moments after his side saw out a win that keeps the pressure on leaders Liverpool, Arteta afforded a grizzlier timeframe for his star man.
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“He has had a procedure and everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks,” said Arteta.
“It will be more than two months. I don’t know exactly how much longer. It will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, and the mobility of that. It is very difficult to say.
“The replacement of Bukayo is going to be the team. There were moments where it flowed well tonight and moments where you could see there is still work to do. But I am certain that we are going to do that. We have to rely on the team and not the individual.”
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The length of Saka’s injury will come as a significant blow to Arteta, who is bidding to oversee Arsenal’s first Premier League title in two decades.
In Saka’s absence, and in the Gunners’ final fixture of 2024, Kai Havertz scored the game’s sole goal midway through the opening period.
Gabriel, Havertz and Martin Odegaard all spurned chances to increase Arsenal’s lead in the second period, but their victory takes them back to within six points of leaders Liverpool – having played one match more than the Reds – and a point clear of Chelsea following their Boxing Day defeat to Fulham.
Arteta continued: “I am very happy with the victory and the clean sheet and big parts of the game. They are difficult opposition and we are playing so many games.
“You see that teams are winning from small margins. Today we could have made that margin bigger but we didn’t and we held our nerve in the last few minutes to defend well.
“We should have scored more. We had big openings in the second half, the big header of Gabriel from one yard, but the team was consistent and conceded nothing and that is something that will always give us the chance to win games.”
Arsenal will next be in action against Brentford on New Year’s Day. Ipswich, who remain second from bottom, three points away from safety, host Chelsea on Monday night.
Ipswich suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat at home to Newcastle in the fixture which preceded their trip to the Emirates, and this marked their fifth loss from six games.
“It was a good step back in the right direction for us,” said boss Kieran McKenna. “We didn’t hit our levels against Newcastle. We knew today we had to be resilient and we did that.”
Analysis: Arteta has work to do to find formula without Saka
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright at the Emirates Stadium:
Arteta promised Arsenal would be “different” without Saka. He knows he has no direct replacement for the 23-year-old. On this evidence, though, it might take a bit of time to find a working formula in his absence as he begins a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Martinelli was chosen to assume the role of Arsenal’s right-sided winger having impressed after moving across following Saka’s withdrawal in the win at Crystal Palace but he struggled, not registering a single shot, creating any chances or even completing any dribbles.
The goal originated from the opposite side of the pitch, with Trossard bursting away from Ben Johnson and sending a teasing cross into the six-yard box, where Havertz pounced. But Arsenal continued to direct a higher proportion of attacks down their right.
Martinelli was not the only one they looked to. Martin Odegaard offered support and Arteta’s front line was more fluid than usual, with Gabriel Jesus and Havertz also popping up on that flank, as well as interchanging positions with each other before Jesus was substituted.
Their movement caused problems for Ipswich at times, but Arsenal generally struggled to carve out openings, save for a spell in the second half when they peppered the visitors’ goal.
Havertz ready to stand up – but others must follow his lead
Sky Sports’ Ben Grounds at the Emirates Stadium:
“It’s true that you can’t score five every week, and there was a degree of satisfaction in the voices of home supporters as they chanted ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ at the final whistle.
“This turned into a scratchy performance that, in the midst of the congested run of fixtures, Mikel Arteta won’t mind. Tick this off, and move on to the next one.
“It is a game that won’t live long in the memory but it is one Arsenal ultimately won thanks to Kai Havertz’s elusive running off the ball.
“The German was rewarded simply for not standing still. Later, his exuberance would lead to a booking, but in the absence of Saka, it was vital that he continued his impressive output over the course of 2024.
“His decisive strike was his 24th goal involvement of the calendar year – just four shy of Saka. For as long as the Starboy is out injured, Havertz must continue that flow of finding the net.”
