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Arsenal picked up a huge three points in the Premier League title race as they beat Brighton 1-0 on Wednesday. Bukayo Saka netted early on with the Gunners defending resolutely for the remainder, while Manchester City were pegged back twice by Nottingham Forest, which has seen the gap at the top increase to seven points.

The absence of William Saliba made Arsenal's dogged performance even more impressive, as the Frenchman missed out due to an injury sustained against Chelsea.

Cristhian Mosquera came into the starting XI in place of him, with Gabriel Martinelli also preferred to Leandro Trossard. There was also still no place in the squad for Martin Odegaard, with a knee problem picked up last month still bothering him.

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Arteta has some other injury problems to contend with, but does have the chance to rotate this weekend as the Gunners face League One Mansfield Town in an FA Cup fifth-round tie.

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With all of that being said, football.london has taken a look at the latest updates on Arsenal's injured stars and when they could return.

Saliba was surprisingly absent from the Arsenal squad against Brighton, with Arteta revealing the reason he was not present ahead of Wednesday's game.

What Arteta has said: "He turned his ankle against Chelsea. He managed to finish the game somehow, but he was too sore to play today."

Possible return date: N/A.

Of the last six Premier League games, Odegaard has missed four of them with a variety of different problems. The current issue is in his knee with the Gunners captain yet to recover from the problem picked up at Brentford last month.

What Arteta has said: "Martin is the other one. Maybe, we will see how comfortable he is in certain actions."

Possible return date: Bayer Leverkusen (A) - March 11

White has been out injured for Arsenal's last three games, and there is no clear timeline for his return.

What Arteta has said: "Ben is not available."

Possible return date: N/A.

Due to a fracture in his foot, Merino underwent surgery earlier this year but is expected to return in some capacity before the end of the season.

What Arteta has said: "Well, I think the doctors were really happy the way it went. Yeah, now it starts. Obviously, it's a long process.

"You're talking about bone healing, so you need to be patient. You respect the timings, and I'm sure Mikel is going to do everything that he possibly can to speed up the process. We're talking about months, whether it's three, four or five, we don't know."

Possible return date: April/May.