Overview
- Riccardo Calafiori exited the starting XI after feeling a problem in the warm-up, with Myles Lewis-Skelly drafted in minutes before kick-off.
- Mikel Arteta said Calafiori felt “something very awkward” the day before and again pre-match, with the exact diagnosis and timeline still to be confirmed.
- Jurrien Timber missed out after what Arteta described as a landing injury, while Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera were unavailable and Declan Rice started at right-back.
- Arsenal beat Brighton 2-1 to return to the top of the Premier League, continuing a run of narrow league victories.
- Gabriel Magalhaes returned and appeared as a substitute, and Piero Hincapie started alongside William Saliba to bolster limited defensive options.