Mikel Arteta Concerned as Rice and Mosquera Injured in Arsenal Win

Arsenal's title hopes hit by Injuries to Rice and Mosquera

Mikel Arteta confirms Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera injuries in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Brentford, raising concerns for title push.

“Obviously it's never good news. Declan had to come off. We don't know. We have to see tomorrow what he's got...”

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera suffered injuries during Arsenal's 2-0 win over Brentford, which may impact their title chances. Rice, who has been a key player for Arsenal this season, came off in the 83rd minute with a calf issue, while Mosquera was substituted before half-time with a knee or ankle problem.

Arteta's side is already dealing with injuries to Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, and these latest setbacks could further weaken their squad. Despite this, Arsenal remains five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, thanks to goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches with an eighth straight home win, but manager Mikel Arteta faced injury setbacks. Spanish defender Cristhian Mosquera was forced off just before half-time, adding to the existing absences of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba. England midfielder Declan Rice also left the game with a calf injury, taken off 10 minutes from full-time.

After Declan Rice was forced off injured in Arsenal’s win over Brentford, he was seen clapping the fans with a compression bandage on his shin. 🤕 pic.twitter.com/XZYlmPmOaZ

— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) December 3, 2025

Arteta expressed frustration with the team's schedule, saying they need more time to recover between games. Rice's injury is reportedly a calf issue, while Mosquera's problem is likely related to his knee or ankle. Both players will undergo further tests to determine the extent of their injuries.

“Obviously it's never good news. Declan had to come off. We don't know. We have to see tomorrow what he's got,” said Arteta, who is also without Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard due to injuries.

“Declan can walk. He cannot play. The thing is, he's played a lot of minutes but as well, now we played Wednesday night and we have to play Saturday morning as well.”

Mikel Arteta gave Saka, Timber, and Eze a rest against Brentford, but ended up needing them off the bench. This highlights Arsenal's injury woes, with Arteta questioning the Premier League schedule ahead of a tough trip to Aston Villa.

Arteta's concerns are valid, given the team's packed schedule. Arsenal played Tottenham and Bayern Munich, and drew with Chelsea, all in a short span. The manager's frustration is understandable, as injuries pile up and the team faces a challenging run of games.

“Rest, that's quite a positive word to use. We had to make some changes,« he said.

“We had a very demanding week at every level. We were asked to play three days later, with one less recovery day than them.

“We can play minutes but if they can please give us just a little more time to recover and to make the welfare of these players a little bit easier, that would be great.”