Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Aaron Catterson-Reid

Why substitute rule meant Mikel Arteta took Gabriel Jesus off at halftime of Arsenal vs Sporting

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has explained why he decided to take Gabriel Jesus off at half-time during last night's Europa League match against Sporting CP.

The Gunners drew 1-1 with the Portuguese side on the night, meaning the aggregate scoreline was 3-3 before Ruben Amorim's men eventually knocked out Mikel Arteta and co, winning 5-3 on penalties. There was further anguish for the north Londoners as defenders William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu both suffered injuries in the first-half before eventually being replaced by Rob Holding and Ben White respectively.

UEFA rules stipulate that each team can use a maximum of three stoppages in play to make substitutions, with one additional stoppage in extra time allowed. However, half-time doesn't count as a stoppage in play.

READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Saliba's injury, Martinelli's miss and bouncing back

That meant that Arteta had just two windows left to make substitutions, one of which being half-time, when he decided to bring off striker Jesus. When asked if bringing the Brazilian international off at half-time was planned, Arteta responded by saying: "Yeah. We decided to do that because we had to manage the subs.

"Thank God we did take him out, especially after the two windows that we had to use in the first half. That was the plan.

"Leo (Leandro Trossard) is coming from an injury as well and we knew the game could go to extra time and we had to manage that. He looked OK."

READ NEXT:

Every word Mikel Arteta said on Saliba's injury, Martinelli's miss and bouncing back

Takehiro Tomiyasu, William Saliba: Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of Crystal Palace

Mikel Arteta provides worrying update on William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu injuries

Arsenal player ratings vs Sporting as Xhaka good and Jesus promising despite penalty heartache

Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.