Arsenal sweating on Gabriel's fitness ahead of Man Utd clash as Mikel Arteta offers concerning injury update after West Ham win

Gabriel started against West Ham and made an early impact, heading home Bukayo Saka’s corner to open the scoring in what ended in a 5-2 triumph for the Gunners. But, he lasted for only 45 minutes as the Brazilian was replaced by Jakub Kiwior following Lukasz Fabianski's punch in his face.

However, while addressing the media after the West Ham match, Arteta confirmed that Gabriel’s substitution was related to an earlier injury sustained during the Champions League match in Lisbon against Sporting CP and not due to Fabianski's punch. The defender won the race against time to feature against the Hammers but the injury flared up again, prompting his early withdrawal.

“It was related to the previous injury he had in Lisbon,” said Arteta. “He did great to be a part of that. With that result and the state he is feeling, we decided to take him off.”

Gabriel was not the only Arsenal player to make an early exit during their massive win. Saka and Riccardo Calafiori also left the pitch, raising additional concerns about Arsenal’s squad depth before a busy fixture schedule. Saka, who earlier converted a penalty to score Arsenal’s fifth goal, needed treatment after a collision with Emerson but was later deemed to be in good condition. “He’s fine,” Arteta reassured fans, suggesting the substitution was precautionary.

Meanwhile, Calafiori’s departure before the hour mark was a step taken to avoid aggravating his knee issues.

"Well, he’s been dealing with little niggles in the last few weeks," Arteta said. "Obviously, he’s had a very serious knee injury and he’s doing really well, but we have to manage his minutes. Today we have to do the same.”

Despite these setbacks, Arsenal’s victory over West Ham moved them to within five points of league leaders Liverpool. With the season heating up, Arteta’s men will host United next, aiming to close the gap further and maintain their title challenge.