Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Brighton: 5 things we learned – You have got to be kidding?

By Andrew Dowdeswell

Brighton's French striker Neal Maupay (unseen) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Arsenal at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on June 20, 2020. (Photo by Gareth Fuller / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Brighton's French striker Neal Maupay (unseen) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Arsenal at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on June 20, 2020. (Photo by Gareth Fuller / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. Injuries strike again

After losing Pablo Mari for the season, Granit Xhaka for several weeks, and already dealing with absences to Sokratis, Lucas Torreira and Calum Chambers, Arsenal added another major injury to the list on Saturday.

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Bernd Leno collected a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area. He was challenged by Neal Maupay in the air, perhaps a little late, and fell awkwardly on right leg, twisting his knee as he fell to the ground. He was heard screaming upon his landing and then yelled out in pain as medical staff rushed to deal with the issue.

It remains to be seen how long Leno faces on the sidelines, but it could very easily be a ruptured ligament given the images. That would indicate a timeframe of around a year and would certainly see him miss the remainder of the current season. It is a nasty injury and a huge loss to the team.

Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can hold his head as high as Leno for his performances this season. Emiliano Martinez will now see out the season, and he played well during the final 50 minutes. For Leno, though, we can only wish him a speedy recovery and hope that the injury is not as severe as currently feared.