Mikel Arteta has confirmed that William Saliba was ruled out of facing Brighton following an ankle problem sustained in Arsenal’s victory over Chelsea at the weekend. Saliba was replaced by Cristhian Mosquera in the Gunners’ starting line-up on Wednesday evening. The centre-back netted his maiden goal of the campaign, in his 34th appearance, as Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday to restore their five-point advantage at the summit of the Premier League.

However, he was an unexpected omission when Arsenal announced their side at the Amex Stadium. “He turned his ankle against Chelsea,” Arteta explained pre-match. “He managed to finish the game somehow, but he was too sore to play today.” His absence is believed to be precautionary, with the knock not considered to be too serious.

Arteta made two changes to the side which defeated Chelsea, bringing in Mosquera for the injured Saliba whilst introducing Gabriel Martinelli for Leandro Trossard as a tactical decision. Meanwhile, Declan Rice was deemed fit to start, despite having been withdrawn with an injury concern against Chelsea.

Arsenal remain involved in all four competitions and are navigating a congested schedule, with the FA Cup fifth round at the weekend before the opening leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter against Bayer Leverkusen arriving next week.

With the Gunners set to travel to Mansfield in the FA Cup on Saturday, there is a possibility that Saliba will be afforded the week off to rest and recover.

Arteta has emphasised the significance of rest and rotation. When questioned about the fact that Rice and Martin Zubimendi had featured in 27 of their 29 league matches together in midfield, he observed: “Yes, it’s always like this with any player – you have to understand which games are more fitted for them and other players as well.

“That’s what we have to do – understand how they’re feeling, because there are moments when you feel that it’s the right moment to go [out of the team], and others, when you say I’m in a great moment and I want to continue to play.”