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Arsenal star pops painkillers during Brighton match to play through injury
One of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal stars had to play with pain against Brighton.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was spotted taking painkillers during a break in play after picking up a knock during their 3-0 win away to Brighton. The stopper had collided with Tariq Lamptey inside the box as the Seagulls protested that a penalty should be awarded, with both players suffering from injuries as a result of the incident.
Moments before Bukayo Saka opened the scoring from a spot-kick, Arsenal had a nervy wait as referee John Brooks waved away Brighton complaints with Lamptey left on the floor. The Ghanaian was determined to get the ball and create an opening inside the box, having initially jostled with Gabriel before tumbling to the ground while trying to beat Raya to the ball.
Arsenal eventually regained possession but Lamptey was left in a heap and in pain, having picked up an ankle issue. He was able to run off the knock but the full-back was not the only player to suffer from their collision, as Raya began complaining about an injury.
He was seemingly still feeling the effects of the challenge with Lamptey and needed to take painkillers to continue, receiving them from the medical team during a break in play when the official paused the game for a drinks break, with several players currently observing Ramadan.
Raya had been limping and seemingly struggling with a left thigh injury, but was able to continue in an attempt to keep Brighton at bay. The Spaniard, on loan from Brentford, usurped Aaron Ramsdale to become Mikel Arteta’s undisputed number one, but curbed any chance of the England man returning to the team off the bench by playing through the pain.
The Gunners’ defensive strength has been vital as they go toe-to-toe with Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League title, with Raya playing a big role. After keeping Brighton at bay, he became the first Arsenal goalkeeper to manage five consecutive league away clean sheets in the club's history.
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Raya has not conceded a league goal on the road since Taiwo Awoniyi’s consolation in Arsenal’s 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest, going on to claim clean sheets in recent trips to West Ham, Sheffield United, Burnley and Manchester City.
And he is not the only Arsenal star to continue playing despite suffering an injury, with his team-mate Ben White stunning members of staff at London Colney by his ability to block out the pain of a knee injury.
White has appeared in all bar one of Arsenal’s league matches this season and has been managing an issue since November when the Gunners were defeated by Newcastle, but may have inspired Raya to take painkillers mid-game in order to carry on against Brighton and return to the top of the table.