'He's been in a lot of pain' - Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reveals Jorginho has been playing through injury as he lauds man of the match display in victory over Liverpool

After the Gunners' 3-1 win over league leaders Liverpool, Arteta praised the Italian, whose performance on the night was crucial for Arsenal leaving the Emirates with three points. The 32-year-old had not started a league game since November, and the Arsenal manager claimed that he had played through agony to aid the club while suffering from a persistent physical issue that has not been revealed by the Spaniard.

Talking to the media after the game, Arteta said [via The Athletic]: "(He was) Unbelievable. I always say that he’s an example, a role model. He’s been in a lot of pain because he’s had an issue he’s been carrying for months. He didn’t want to stop, he’s been playing with that. He’s been training, always the first one in and the last one out.

"For all the kids at the club, if you want to look at somebody, just look at him. He’s won everything but if you ask him not to play or play one minute last week he’s happy to go there. Ask him to play 90 minutes at that rhythm and he’s able to do that. I’m really lucky to have players like this.

"It’s a game that I had in my mind. I was imagining how much we were going to need him. He’s a really intelligent player, his biggest quality is that he makes the people around him better. He connects everybody. I think he was man of the match."

Arsenal won convincingly at Emirates Stadium thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Bukayo Saka. Arsenal now sit just two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool as a result of the outcome. With two games in hand, Manchester City trail Liverpool by five points and are the clear favourite to take the lead in the Premier League until the number of games equalises.

The Italian has been touted by Arteta earlier as a key part of his system at Arsenal and will likely be in action against West Ham on Sunday, February 11.