Mikel Arteta offers update on Bukaya Saka after winger misses Leeds win after suffering injury in warm-up

Arteta has offered some insight into why Saka was forced out of Saturday's victory at Elland Road at the last minute. The Gunners were dominant against Leeds, collecting all three points with an impressive 4-0 victory. Arsenal took the lead in the first half through a Martin Zubimendi header and soon doubled their advantage when Karl Darlow knocked a Madueke corner into his own goal.

The English winger, who replaced Saka, was on hand to register two assists and give the Gunners a strong grip on the game at the break. Arteta’s side continued to push for more goals and Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus helped themselves to a goal each.

It marked an important victory for the Gunners, who restored their seven-point lead over Manchester City and Aston Villa. While their title rivals still have a game in hand and will play their respective fixtures on Sunday, Arteta will be relieved to have ended a run of three Premier League games without a win at a difficult ground.

While an emphatic victory will be welcomed with open arms by Arteta, the Gunners boss will be frustrated to lose Saka to injury. The winger has been the club’s standout forward once again this season and with difficult games coming thick and fast, Arteta will be desperate for his player to return to fitness as soon as possible.

Speaking after the game to BBC Match of the Day, Arteta said: “To win 4-0 here is very difficult, let's see when the next time that happens. Big credit to the boys.

“The team showed a real dominance, resilience and character and obviously quality. I really liked the attitude of the team.”

On whether Saka will return to action soon, Arteta replied: “We don't know yet. He had a little niggle in the warm-up.”

The Arsenal boss was delighted with Saka’s replacement and explained that Madueke “reacted really well” after being “thrown out there when you least expect it.”

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Madueke echoed the words of his manager and was pleased he could make an impact from the off, having not expected to start the game. He told Sky Sports, via BBC Sport: “We're professional so we are prepared. Happy that we got the win. I appreciate the supporters, it means a lot that they come so far from home. We heard them the whole 90 minutes, they were top today.

"We have been fighting on all four fronts since the start of the season. It goes without saying that everyone is ready when called upon. Every few days you have to be ready to perform. It is about staying locked in and in the zone."

Arsenal and Arteta will watch Manchester City and Aston Villa’s games with keen interest on Sunday. The Gunners will be hoping for a favour from their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur who will welcome Pep Guardiola’s City to the capital. In the reverse fixture, Spurs put in their best performance of the season and took all the points from City back to London. Thomas Frank’s side have since failed to live up to those early levels, and the Danish coach appears on the brink of dismissal.

Elsewhere, Villa will host Brentford in the earlier kick-off on Sunday. Unai Emery will be aiming to close the gap on his former employers, but Keith Andrews’ side will provide a stern test for the Spaniard’s team. After a remarkable winning run saw them catapult up the Premier League table and into a race for the league’s crown, Villa have won two of their last five Premier League games as they endure a mixed patch of recent form.

Next weekend, Arsenal will welcome Sunderland to the Emirates as they look to build on a strong performance against Leeds. The Gunners drew 2-2 at the Stadium of Light earlier in the campaign.