Mikel Arteta's reaction speaks volumes as Gabriel adds to Arsenal injury crisis

Arsenal's injury crisis has worsened after Gabriel was forced off just 10 minutes into the second-half of their clash with .

The defender appeared to suffer a leg injury soon after the break in a clash with Liverpool strike Darwin Nunez. He went down injured, with a physio coming on to give him treatment as his team-mates surrounded him.

He was at first able to carry on, running off to the sidelines before coming back on. But after a sustained period of pressure from the visitors, he went down again and signalled he was unable to continue.

After getting Jakub Kiwior ready to come on, Gunners boss was spotted with his head looking down to the ground. He is already dealing with , with captain Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko all currently sidelined.

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Arteta also saw Gabriel's regular partner at centre-back William Saliba sent off during last week's defeat to . opted against appealing that red card, meaning Saliba missed the Liverpool game and will be unavailable for two further matches.

Gabriel's injury turned the tide of the game somewhat, with Liverpool growing in confidence. His side had been leading 2-1 when he was forced off, following goals from and Mikel Merino in the first-half.

Saka latched on to a ball forward from before leaving Andy Robertson on his backside and firing high into the net after just nine minutes. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk got his side back on level terms with a powering header from Luis Diaz's corner.

But the Gunners were back in front just before half-time when Merino nodded in Declan Rice's brilliant free-kick. Liverpool boss made three changes just after Gabriel's injury, with , Dominik Szoboszlai and Kostas Tsimikas all coming on in place of Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson and Luis Diaz.

That led to former star Pat Nevin warning Arsenal that they would be in for a tough final 30 minutes. Nevin admitted seeing Gabriel go off would have been Arteta's worst nightmare.

"If they could Arsenal would probably not want to risk Gabriel and would take him off. But the way things are just now with their defence and the issues there, he will not be coming off unless he absolutely has to," he told Radio 5 Live.

"This will be a big, big job for the two players in front of the Arsenal defence now. If you are a Liverpool fan you would like to see a bit more from them, go and test that defence.

"Liverpool have added a little bit of chaos to things. They were really easy to mark and were predictable, but now there is variation. Andy Robertson and are moving forward, Luis Diaz is picking it up in better positions in the final third. They are asking more questions of Arsenal."

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