Martin Odegaard clutches ankle in agony as Arsenal followers concern star badly injured vs Fulham

Martin Odegaard was left clutching his ankle in agony on the pitch at Craven Cottage during the first half of Arsenal‘s visit to Fulham.

The Gunners talisman has already missed a significant portion of the season, with an absence due to an ankle injury suffered on international duty with Norway contributing to a poor run of form for the North London side.

And his ankle was the cause of concern again on Sunday, when he captained the Gunners for the 100th time but hit the turf following a challenge shortly before half-time. The 25-year-old midfielder writhed around in pain, before limping away.

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One worried Arsenal fan posted on X: “Odegaard looks injured. I don’t think he’ll be out for the second half.” Another added: “Definitely the kind of game that we pick up an L if we don’t wake up. Worse if Odegaard comes off injured.”

A third Gunners supporter said: “[Mikel] Arteta should take Odegaard off and put in [Ethan] Nwaneri. I don’t think he’s in the match plus he might just get injured.”

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However, there concerns were seemingly unfounded as Odegaard did emerge for the second half, despite walking gingerly as he left the pitch before the break.

Fulham took the lead against the run of play following a difficult opening 10-minute spell for the home side, when they countered and former Wolves forward Raul Jiminez collected a ball from Kenny Tete and shot low and hard past David Raya. He ran beyond Jakub Kiwior and slotted home a fine finish into the bottom corner.

But after the interval Arsenal again showed their prowess at set pieces, with Mikel Arteta’s side levelling the scores in the 52nd minute. Declan Rice swung in a corner for his side, with Kai Havertz directing a header back across goal and William Saliba finishing past Bernd Leno. The goal was checked for offside by VAR, but it stood.

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