Evening Standard
· collected 2026-09-28 · by Tashan Deniran-Alleyne and George Flood
Arsenal's seven-game winning streak ended with a 3-0 defeat against Brighton. The team faces another 12 days without matches before welcoming Leeds to the Emirates on October 10, when they hope to have Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White back from injury, along with William Saliba who could be close to returning. Key players Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Martin Odegaard are dealing with injuries or rest periods: Rice will miss England's upcoming matches due to a precautionary break; Havertz left training with a suspected hamstring issue; and Odegaard received an ankle knock during Norway’s game against Portugal but hopes it isn’t serious.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Mikel Arteta’s side saw their seven-game winning streak at the start of the campaign snapped in a rather surprising manner against Brighton last time out.
asserted
streak → see → Brighton
Outfought and outclassed at the Amex Stadium, the Gunners were convincingly beaten 3-0.
asserted
Gunners → outfight → Stadium
Due to a change to the length of the first international break this season, Arsenal have to wait another 12 days for an attempt to put things right when they welcome Leeds to the Emirates Stadium.
asserted
they → have → Stadium
By then, the Gunners will hope to have Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White available for selection, while William Saliba could very well be nearing a return to action.
uncertain
Saliba → hope → action
Although Jurrien Timber started against Brighton and was back in the Netherlands squad at the weekend, Arsenal’s injury issues have not eased completely with Declan Rice and Kai Havertz among those being forced to withdraw from international duty, while Martin Odegaard received a knock on Sunday.
asserted
Odegaard → start → Sunday
Martin Odegaard
Odegaard raged after being on the receiving end of a late challenge from ex-Manchester City star Bernardo Silva during Norway’s 2-1 home defeat by Portugal in the Nations League in Oslo on Sunday night.
asserted
Odegaard → rag → night
The Arsenal captain said the challenge - which came from behind after he had already played the ball away - “doesn’t belong on a football field” as he angrily confronted Silva and was seen shouting “f**k you” repeatedly in his direction.
asserted
he → say → direction
Odegaard was seen limping after the game, though hopes he will not have to withdraw from the Norway squad ahead of Thursday’s clash with Wales, which is followed by another contest against Portugal next weekend.
asserted
which → see → Portugal
"I hope not, but I got a knock on my ankle there," Odegaard said.
asserted
Odegaard → hope → ankle
Arsenal will certainly be hoping it’s nothing serious, with Odegaard having been in sparkling form so far this season.
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Odegaard → hop → form
Potential return date: October 10 vs Leeds (h)
Kai Havertz
The forward left the pitch with a suspected hamstring issue after being caught by a high challenge from Quinten Timber - brother of his Arsenal team-mate Jurrien - in the first half.
asserted
forward → leave → half
Potential return date: October 10 vs Leeds (h)
Declan Rice
Rice has struggled with niggling injuries over the past 12 months and will now miss England’s Nations League triple-header against Czechia (2x) and Croatia after sitting out the 3-2 loss to Spain at the weekend.
It’s not believed that the midfielder is currently carrying an injury, rather he is being given some rest at Arsenal in preparation for some huge games.
asserted
he → struggle → games
Potential return date: October 10 vs Leeds (h)
Piero Hincapie
Piero Hincapie was left out of Ecuador’s squad for the international window amid ongoing fitness concerns.
asserted
Hincapie → leave → concerns
The left-sided defender has only started once for Arsenal across all competitions this season and missed out completely against Ipswich in the Carabao Cup.
asserted
defender → start → Cup
Having returned to the matchday squad for the loss to Brighton, it was assumed everything was fine but new Ecuador manager Marcelo Gallardo confirmed Hincapie was left out of his first squad because of injury.
asserted
Hincapie → return → injury
It is unclear as to how serious the issue is, though a three-week break quite possibly came at the ideal time for Hincapie.
uncertain
break → come → Hincapie
Potential return date: October 10 vs Leeds (h)
Ben White
White picked up a groin issue in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on September 12, subsequently missing the Carabao Cup win over Ipswich three days later.
The defender, not named in the England squad, was thought be in contention for the showdown against Brighton following comments from Arteta in the pre-match press conference.
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defender → pick → conference
“Ben is all good, we have another training session this afternoon, so very positive about everybody,” Arteta said.
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Arteta → have → everybody
However, White was not in the matchday squad against his former club, meaning Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi had to share right-back duty after Timber went off in the second half.
asserted
Timber → mean → half
Though, taking Arteta's pre-Brighton update into consideration, White should be fine after the international break.
asserted
White → take → break
Potential return date: October 10 vs Leeds (h)
Cristhian Mosquera
Mosquera has been out of action since he was forced off in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa on August 31, and has now missed Arsenal's last five matches across all competitions, including the loss to Brighton.
asserted
he → force → Brighton
Spotted in his tracksuit, Mosquera then watched the warm-ups from the touchline, as the extra man often does for the Gunners.
asserted
man → spot → Gunners
As Arsenal are now not in action for another two weeks due to the extended international break, that should give Mosquera a chance to fully recover from the muscle issue.
asserted
that → give → issue
The good news is the defender doesn't need surgery, but it may be after the November international break before he is back in action.
uncertain
he → need → action
“Extensive assessments have concluded that surgery is not recommended, but William should now commence a managed recovery programme.
asserted
William → conclude → programme
“William’s rehabilitation will commence immediately, with continual management of his injury, and he is expected to be out of action for an extended period.”
asserted
he → commence → period
The Aporia
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