Eberechi Eze injury worry after goalscorer hobbles off before Man City final

Arsenal midfielder Eberechi Eze was substituted in the second half of the Gunners’ 2-0 Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen after appearing to pick up a knock, raising concerns ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

The 27-year-old had given Arsenal a crucial first-half lead with a spectacular strike at the Emirates, helping secure the club’s passage to the Champions League quarter-finals. However, Eze gestured for a substitution after jarring something and was replaced by Kai Havertz following Declan Rice’s second goal.

Eze attempted to ease fears over his condition after the match, telling reporters: “Yeah, I’m alright, I’ll be okay.” The midfielder was clearly delighted with his memorable goal, adding: “I don’t know if I could dream of scoring a goal like that. It’s a special goal, I’m going to remember it for a long time. I’ll be rewatching this one for a long time.”

Settling into life at Arsenal

Former Arsenal and West Ham defender Matthew Upson believes Eze is finding his rhythm in north London following his summer transfer. “Just finding the change of gear to play at a club like Arsenal takes a little bit of time to settle in,” Upson observed. “Eze is up and down at the moment but he’s getting there. Especially a season like this, there’s so much winning pressure, a slip up is around the corner at every moment.”

The injury concern comes at a crucial time for Mikel Arteta’s side, who face Manchester City at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final this weekend. Arsenal have not won the competition since 1993 and have suffered final defeats to Chelsea, Birmingham City and Manchester City in recent years.

Champions League progress

Despite the injury scare, Arsenal’s victory secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals after a disappointing first leg in Germany. The Premier League leaders will face Sporting CP for a place in the final four, after the Portuguese side completed a remarkable comeback against Bodo/Glimt, overturning a 3-0 deficit.

Arteta made several changes during the match, bringing on Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Gabriel Martinelli for Martín Zubimendi, Ben White and Leandro Trossard after Rice’s goal extended the lead.

The club will be monitoring Eze’s condition closely over the coming days as they prepare for their first major final of the season against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.