Winners
Crystal Palace
Patrick Vieira will be delighted watching on as his weekend opponents had to go the whole distance last night. Arsenal suffered two injuries in the game and are unlikely to get much training in outside of recovery.
Vieira is in a difficult position having not won a single league game in 2023 and a poor attacking record. Yet last night’s tiring clash will certainly give the Eagles more impetus.
Manchester United
The big winners of the night other than the Gunners’ opponents are Man Utd. They’re clear favourites to win the competition again after the arguable favourites were knocked out.
READ MORE: Arsenal vs Sporting CP highlights: Gunners out on penalties after suffering Saliba injury
That said, Sporting CP are sure to pose a threat and could need the competition for qualification into the Champions League. Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen are two other sides now encouraged by the exit of the Gunners.
The title race
The silver lining for Arsenal is of course the removal of a competition full of fixtures. Whilst title rivals Manchester City progressed comfortably past RB Leipzig, they will have to compete across both the Champions League and FA Cup.
This gives Arsenal a focused approach to the test of their season. With a couple of injuries in the game too, it provides a clear indication of the risks of using first-team stars as a second priority.
It also means Arsenal’s title clash with Manchester City will allow two days extra rest with their Premier League game with Southampton now on the Friday before instead of Sunday.
Losers
Arsenal injuries
There will be prayers tonight that William Saliba’s injury is not too bad. Mikel Arteta described his issue as having “some discomfort.”
What makes it worse is Takehiro Tomiyasu going down prevents Ben White from moving inside like he operated last season. Question marks will be raised on who should play on Sunday but it could be a real hammer blow to the club’s depth.
Rob Holding
There were some good moments from Rob Holding in the game but the primary conclusion from his display was the demonstration of the gap between him and Saliba. He very well might be starting this weekend if the Frenchman is not fit to start.
His distribution, composure and timing all came under scrutiny and the likes of Wilfred Zaha are sure to be emboldened facing the centre half over Saliba.
Gabriel Jesus
Were it not for the injuries in the first half taking two of the Gunners sub opportunities in the game, it’s probable the Brazilian might have extended his stay on the field but by making the change at half time Arteta preserved the chance to make another in open play.
Whilst being robbed of those approximate 15 or so minutes, he looked sharp and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. As he builds back to full fitness he is sure to be vital in the Gunners’ remaining eleven games of the season.
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