Mikel Arteta admits Ben White substitution was out of fear of another Arsenal red card as Gunners look to tackle disciplinary crisis

White was taken off at half-time of Arsenal's 1-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, leading to fears the defender may have picked up an injury. However, manager Mikel Arteta set the record straight after the game, telling reporters he made the change as he feared seeing his side reduced to 10 men again. White had picked up a booking in the first half and was therefore at risk of being sent off if he received a second yellow card.

Arsenal's disciplinary record has been in the spotlight this week after William Saliba was sent off against Bournemouth last time out in the Premier League. The red card was Arsenal's third in just eight games in the top flight this season, with Arteta having already admitted his team "cannot continue" to play with 10 men.

Speaking about the decision to take White off, Arteta said: "With Ben, it was my decision to take him out. He had a yellow card and we have played enough with 10 men in recent periods."

White should be available to face Liverpool on Sunday in a crunch clash but Arteta did lose Riccardo Calafiori to injury. The Arsenal boss offered a pessimistic update on the defender after the game: "With Riccy, he had to come off because he felt something. I don’t know the extent of it but it’s not good news."