Arsenal handed major blow ahead of Brighton clash after key man limps off during warm-up

Arsenal have been forced into a late reshuffle after Riccardo Calafiori was forced to pull out of their starting line-up ahead of their clash with Brighton.

Calafiori had been due to start for Mikel Arteta‘s side but pulled up during the warm-up.

The Gunners confirmed that Myles Lewis-Skelly had replaced Calafiori in the starting line-up just ahead of kick-off.

The late change gave Lewis-Skelly his first start in the Premier League this season. 

Arsenal were already coming into the match with defensive issues, with Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera absent through injury.

Jurrien Timber was also not included in the Arsenal squad for the match. 

There had been a boost for the Gunners with Piero Hincapie returning from injury to start alongside William Saliba at centre back, while Gabriel Magalhaes was fit enough for the bench having been absent since suffering a hamstring injury back in November.

Arteta opted to replace Calafiori in the backline with Lewis-Skelly, with the England international slotting in at left back.

Arsenal’s defensive absences were further highlighted by Declan Rice starting at right back rather than his typical role in the heart of the Gunners midfield.

Ahead of the match, Arteta had talked up Calafiori’s performances this season and praised his versatility and availability.

‘What he didn’t do before [coming to Arsenal] is play as a full-back. So we brought him in because we believe that he could do both of them [centre-back and full-back].

‘Riccy’s availability has been really good this season as well and [against Crystal Palace], he played a really good game.’