Arsenal are currently the form team in the Premier League, sitting top after ten games played with a four-point cushion over Manchester City in second. It marks an ideal start to the campaign, suffering just the one defeat so far - which came against Manchester United.
Their run continued on Sunday as they beat Leeds United 1-0 at Elland Road, where Bukayo Saka's goal was enough to earn all three points on a nervy afternoon. The home side had plenty of chances including a missed penalty, but the Gunners held on to record another victory.
"It’s always intense here," Mikel Arteta said in review of the clash. "We expected periods where the game would become really chaotic and we had to handle that situation. In the first half we had some really, really good moments that we should have played them and scored two or three and we didn’t and we left the game open."
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Following their recent success, there will be hopes that they can continue on their route towards a Premier League title challenge this season. However, the smallest thing could throw that off course if they're not careful, such as last season's injury issues or the loss to the likes of Tottenham.
One current worry could be if they suffer another defeat before the international break next month or if they lose some key players. The latter is a possibility for two such standouts in the team, who are one yellow card away from receiving a one-match ban in the Premier League.
That's Gabriel Jesus and William Saliba, who have both had instant impacts since being introduced into the first-team at the start of the campaign. The former has been treading on thin ice for a while now, having been on four yellow cards for three matches now.
As for Saliba, he picked up his fourth of campaign after giving away a penalty for a handball against Leeds, though it didn't cost the side any points. Should both pick up a booking against Southampton next up, they'll miss the clash against Nottingham Forest but could make the return against Chelsea the following week.
It means Arteta may be cautious in using either with such a huge game on the horizon, while knowing that their absence could be costly.
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