Mikel Arteta explains reason behind William Saliba’s halftime substitution during Arsenal’s victory against Crystal Palace
Arteta explains Saliba’s first-half substitution in Arsenal’s win over Crystal Palace
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that William Saliba was withdrawn at halftime during the Gunners’ 1–0 victory over Crystal Palace due to an injury concern.
The French defender, who had previously missed part of September with an ankle issue, recently returned to action and featured in Arsenal’s last seven games across all competitions. However, his outing against Palace lasted only 45 minutes, with Cristhian Mosquera replacing him in central defence alongside Gabriel Magalhaes after Eberechi Eze struck against his former club.
Arteta, who has been cautious with Saliba’s workload since his recent recovery, had already opted to rest him in last month’s narrow win over Newcastle United, where the 24-year-old was only fit enough to start from the bench.
Speaking after the Palace game, Arteta said:
> “The first one [injury] was Willy. He had to come off after the first half. I honestly don’t know the full details yet — not because I don’t want to say, but because I really don’t know. There are two things connected to why we made that change.”
Saliba’s substitution wasn’t the only concern for Arsenal. Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori were also taken off in the second half, both appearing to be in discomfort.
Arteta added:
> “Declan was already struggling from a knock in the first half, and Ricci as well. We’ll have to see how they all recover.”
When asked about Rice’s injury, the Arsenal boss explained that it might be either a calf or Achilles problem but wasn’t yet confirmed.
There was also a brief scare involving Gabriel Martinelli, who was seen speaking to medical staff in the tunnel after the match. Arteta reassured fans that the issue didn’t appear serious:
> “Yes, I think Martinelli is fine. He felt a bit of discomfort and said he sensed something, but we’re not sure if it’s muscular or not. We’ll have an update tomorrow.”
The win keeps Arsenal four points clear at the top of the Premier League table, and Arteta praised his players for their determination against a well-organised Palace side.
> “I told the players this might be the win they value most this season,” he said. “We knew how difficult it would be — we’ve been playing every three days and faced a team that’s incredibly structured and frustrating to break down. But we stayed focused, found a goal, and held firm to keep another clean sheet. That was crucial.”
Arsenal now turn their attention to the Carabao Cup, where they host Brighton on Wednesday night, before heading to Burnley for their next Premier League fixture.
