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Arsenal regained their five-point cushion at the top of the Premier League on Sunday evening with a 2-1 victory over London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

Goals from William Saliba and Jurrien Timber, along with a Piero Hincapie own goal, sealed the win for Mikel Arteta’s side. This result came after Manchester City had briefly narrowed the gap to two points by defeating Leeds United at Elland Road a day earlier.

However, the evening wasn’t entirely positive for the Gunners, as Declan Rice was taken off in the 76th minute for Christian Norgaard. The England international appeared to be in discomfort after sprinting back to thwart a Chelsea counterattack.

Rice has been almost ever-present for Arsenal this season, missing only one Premier League fixture. The £100 million midfielder remains central to Arteta’s plans, but the manager was unable to provide a detailed update on his condition following the match.

“I don’t know,” Arteta admitted post-match. “Declan had to be substituted, so he’ll need to be assessed to determine whether he’s available for Wednesday, unfortunately.”

The exact nature of Rice’s issue has not been confirmed, although he was seen stretching his legs before being substituted.

Nevertheless, the midfielder seemed to ease concerns over a serious injury with a post-match social media update, sharing a photo of himself celebrating with the caption ‘keep pushing,’ accompanied by a smiling emoji and a heart symbol.

Arteta will be eager to have Rice fit and ready for what promises to be a demanding two weeks for Arsenal. The Gunners travel to Brighton on Wednesday before heading to Mansfield Town for an FA Cup fifth-round tie on Saturday afternoon. They will then face Bayer Leverkusen away in the Champions League last-16 first leg the following Wednesday.

After that, Arsenal host Everton in the Premier League before the return leg of their Champions League encounter, with the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday, March 22, rounding off a hectic run of six matches in just 18 days.

Rice, whose market value is currently estimated at €120 million by Transfermarkt, leads a growing injury list. Goalkeeper David Raya is also a doubt with what Arteta described as ‘some niggles,’ while captain Martin Odegaard was rested against Chelsea due to a recent knee concern.

Defender Ben White missed the fixture with an unspecified knock, and Mikel Merino continues to recover from a foot injury. Despite these setbacks, Arsenal remain in contention for four major trophies and maintain their position at the top of the Premier League table, holding a five-point advantage—though they have played one more match than Manchester City.