Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu set up a goal before coming off with apparent leg discomfort as league leaders Arsenal beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at home on Saturday for their third straight English Premier League win.
Bukayo Saka scored the sixth-minute opener at Emirates Stadium following a short pass inside the box from Tomiyasu, who played at right-back, before Martin Odegaard swept in their second seven minutes later.
Tomiyasu, making his fourth straight league start, came off in the 79th minute after signaling an issue with his left calf. Wolves halved the deficit with four minutes to go through Matheus Cunha, but Arsenal held on to stretch their lead to four points at the top of the table ahead of their nearest rivals Manchester City's fixture on Sunday.
"He felt something, I don't know if it was fatigue, (but) we decided to change straight away with him," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said of Tomiyasu, whose first two seasons at the club were disrupted by injuries. "We didn't want to take any risk. Let's assess how he is."
The Spaniard praised the performance from the versatile defender, while adding the 25-year-old can elevate his game even further offensively.
"The first thing he offers defensively is (that he is) tremendously reliable," Arteta said.
"Attacking, he has certain things he can develop and improve -- his timing, positioning, certain deliveries and actions that he can open some spaces for others."
"He is so willing to learn and do that, again he's another player that has given another level and still (has) another level in him."
