EPL and Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno suffers horror injury against Brighton
EPL goalkeeper Bernd Leno suffered a horror injury against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The Arsenal man has been in fine form this season but could see his campaign cut short after what appears to be a severe injury.
The 28-year-old rushed to the edge of the box to collect a ball in a race against Nel Maupay of Brighton. While he received the ball in the air, Mapuay seemingly shoved Leno, causing the latter land awkwardly as a result. The German appeared to have buckled his knee while landing. Several broadcasting channels refused to show the replays due to the severity of the clash.
Leno was evidently in severe pain as the sound of him helplessly screaming echoed all over the AMEX Stadium. Medical assistance was immediately called upon, and Leno was stretchered off the pitch after an immediate assessment of his injury. He was replaced by back-up keeper Emiliano Martinez.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man expressed his anger at EPL striker Maupay after the clash. He was visibly shouting and pointing fingers at the Frenchman while he was being carried off the pitch. If scans of the injury reveal an injury such as a rupture of Leno's ACL, it will compound further misery on a forgettable EPL season for the Gunners.
EPL side Arsenal's injury woes continue
Arsenal have had terrible luck with injuries this year. Lucas Torreira has already suffered an ankle injury causing him to miss the first two games of the restart and potentially more. Calum Chambers is currently recovering from an ACL rupture and is expected to miss the entirety of the season.
In Arsenal's first EPL game after the break, they saw two starting players — Pablo Mari and Granit Xhaka — taken off the pitch due to injuries in the first 23 minutes. There are reports that the former, in particular, could've suffered a season-ending injury in their EPL match against Manchester City.
While Arsenal are going to do their best to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next year, their hopes diminish with every passing game. David Luiz came on for the injured Mari against the EPL champions and single-handedly lost them the game. With a red card, a clear error and a penalty conceded all within half an hour of coming on, the EPL defender had an absolute shocker.
If they are now tasked with playing the remainder of their EPL season without Leno in goal, Arsenal's UCL hopes could be well and truly dusted.