Arsenal defeated Brentford 3-1 in the Premier League on Wednesday, but the team didn't have ideal preparation for the match because of a virus outbreak, revealed coach Mikel Arteta.
"It affected players on the pitch and off the pitch," said Arteta after the match. "It is nothing serious. But it wasn't the ideal situation. In relation to the symptoms, with Kai (Havertz) it was obvious. He wasn't feeling well at all. He had very clear symptoms."
The illness impacted multiple Arsenal players. Havertz was unable to participate due to the illness, while Declan Rice could only feature as a second-half substitute.
Nevertheless, Arsenal showed remarkable resilience at the Gtech Community Stadium, overcoming the health setback to strengthen their position in the title race.
The team secured victory through goals from Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli.
Captain Martin Odegaard, who reportedly battled the virus before the match, started but made an error leading to Bryan Mbeumo's goal before being substituted in the latter half.
"These things happen. In this period, there are always things thrown at you, infections, viruses, so I try to delay the line-up as late as possible because you can get up in the morning and unfortunately have a surprise like this," Arteta said.
The win took the second-placed Arsenal to within six points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
