Alexis Sanchez Out Injured

Arsenal witnessed saw star player Alexis Sanchez and centre-back Laurent Koscielny taken off during Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Norwich City in the Premier League.

The Gunners had hoped to go joint top with leaders Manchester City, but instead find themselves in fourth place, two points off the pace and also below Leicester City and Manchester United.

And their chances of closing that gap will diminish should either player be ruled out long-term, with Chile forward Sanchez in particular an early contender for the league’s Player of the Season awards.

The pair appear set to join an absentee list that already includes Mikel Arteta, Francis Coquelin, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky.

It has all added up to a disappointing November domestically for Arsene Wenger’s team.

They may have kept their hopes of Champions League progress alive on Tuesday with victory over Dinamo Zagreb, but they got just two Premier League points over the month.

An early Sanchez effort went just wide at Carrow Road, but Arsenal’s troubles began straight afterwards when centre-back Koscielny was hurt as Lewis Grabban challenged him.

On came Gabriel in the 11th minute as Koscielny trudged slowly round the perimetre of the pitch clutching his right hip.

Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy did well to beat away a Sanchez drive, but when Gary O’Neil failed to control the goalkeeper’s scuffed clearance, it allowed Sanchez to slip in Ozil on the left of the box.

The German dinked the ball over Ruddy sublimely to give Arsenal the lead on the half-hour mark.

Arsenal may have been fortunate that referee Jon Moss saw nothing amiss in Mathieu Flamini’s barging over of Wes Hoolahan just inside their penalty area as the two contested a throw-in.

Wenger must have been concerned when Ozil tumbled into a pit for press photographers behind one goal and Sanchez into a similar structure where a television camera and its operator were stationed.