Ethan Nwaneri was substituted late in Arsenal’s defeat to West Ham on Saturday and asked if there was an injury concern, Mikel Arteta believed the youngster was just struggling with fatigue.
It was a bad afternoon for the Gunners as they were beaten 1-0 at home by the Hammers, with Jarrod Bowen scoring the only goal of the game.
Teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly came on in the second half but did not see the final whistle as he was shown a red card on 73 minutes.
Things looked like they could have got even worse when Nwaneri was taken off on 81 minutes, replaced by Raheem Sterling, with the 17-year-old not looking like he was walking too comfortably.
Asked if the forward had picked up an injury in the game, Arteta suggested not, saying: ‘No, hopefully not, he was just fatigued I think.’
It had been a quiet game for the exciting prospect after he had impressed the week before in the win at Leicester City.
Arsenal’s lack of options in attack, due to injury, have seen Arteta rely more on the teenager, who started in a front three with Mikel Merino and Lisandro Trossard.
While Arsenal had far more shots at goal than West Ham over the piece, both teams managed two on target, with the visitors creating the better opportunities.
Arsenal’s hopes of the Premier League title appear to be very distant now, despite still being second in the table.
The Gunners are eight points behind Liverpool having played the same number of games, with the Reds in action on Sunday when they travel to take on Manchester City.
Arteta, who will often protect his own players with his comments, did not sugar-coat the situation and admitted he was left furious by the performance in the London derby.
‘It’s not in our hands,’ he said of his team’s fading title chances.
‘I’m really, really annoyed with the things that are in our hands – which is the performance and the result.
‘[We were] nowhere near the levels that we have to hit to have the opportunity to win a Premier league. I’m very much responsible for that, so I’m very, very angry.’
Gunners captain Martin Odegaard agreed, telling the BBC: ‘It’s a big blow. The performance today wasn’t good enough. We have to see the game back and analyse it, but it wasn’t good enough.’
As for West Ham it was a great result for Graham Potter, who eased any lingering fears of relegation with the victory in north London.
The Hammers are still a very disappointing 16th in the table, but are 13 points clear of the drop zone after the victory.
‘I’m incredibly proud, and pleased for the supporters,’ said Potter. ‘The players gave everything, and left everything out on the pitch, which is what we’ve been trying to instil and encourage.
‘When you do that, you’ve got a chance to get results. Talent is one thing, but it’s about being a team, and having a collective mentality. I think we showed that today in abundance, so I’m delighted.’
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