Kai Havertz lifts Arsenal to second to show there is life without Saka
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The Premier League season has not reached its halfway point and yet Arsenal knew this was a game they had to win. Liverpool’s stunning form at the top of the table had seen to that. It was scrappy for long spells, Ipswich digging deep, determined to show a response to the 4-0 home drubbing against Newcastle from last Saturday – the only time they have taken a real battering this season.
![[Arijanet Muric punches the ball away under pressure from Gabriel Jesus.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/1d23d8bd24435b3fc5a84890dacf390fbebfffae/0_222_4215_2529/master/4215.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Arsenal were restricted. They found chances difficult to come by. But in the end, one goal was enough – together with another clean sheet for David Raya, his 23rd in 50 league appearances for the club. Kai Havertz was the scorer, turning home a Leandro Trossard cross midway through the first half; he made it look simple.
The game was not that way for Arsenal but they did what was required, keeping alive the division’s only unbeaten home record in the process. They are up into second place, six points behind Liverpool, albeit having played an extra match. It was the night when Arsenal started their stretch without Bukayo Saka, who is coming to terms with the first major injury setback of his career; when they had to begin to find a way to replace his goals and assists.
As expected, Arteta switched Gabriel Martinelli over to the right wing and brought in Trossard on the left. The overall sweep of it is that Arsenal want to do better without Saka than they did without the captain, Martin Ødegaard, when he missed seven league games from mid-September. The team won only three of them without him.
