Arsenal lost Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari to injuries inside 25 minutes of their Premier League resumption at Manchester City.

Former Gunners skipper Xhaka collided with team-mate Matteo Guendouzi and was replaced by Dani Ceballos after just eight minutes having seemingly injured his right ankle.

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Mari, an ex-City defender on loan at Arsenal from Flamengo, appeared to pull his calf when chasing Kyle Walker, with experienced centre-back David Luiz entering the fray.

The quick substitutions could bring the issue of player fitness back to the fore following the three-month enforced break for the coronavirus pandemic.

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City manager Pep Guardiola, who had an injury concern of his own when Riyad Mahrez appeared to be hobbling,said pre-game his team were not prepared for the flurry of 10 Premier League fixtures in the space of six weeks.

It was a positive test from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta – Guardiola’s former assistant at the Etihad Stadium – that decisively moved the Premier League towards suspension in March.

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