Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insisted he was right to play Alexis Sanchez in the 1-1 draw with Norwich, despite watching his star man limp from the field with a hamstring injury.
The Gunners led 1-0 through Mesut Ozil's first-half strike, but Lewis Grabban's equaliser means they missed out on the chance to draw level with Manchester City and Leicester City at the top of the Premier League.
That disappointment was further compounded by the sight of Sanchez limping from the field, after Laurent Koscielny (hip) had earlier succumbed to injury, while Santi Cazorla (knee) also ended the game in apparent distress.
However, after the game Wenger was adamant that Alexis' injury was not his fault, with the Chilean joining a growing list of players in the Arsenal treatment room.
"[Regret playing alexis?] No I don't regret it," he said.
"The players are there to play football not to be rested when the press decides they need to be rested."
Wenger then appeared to contradict that statement by adding:
"I would have rested Sanchez, but he said to me before the game he was fine to play.
"He was an important loss, he pushes defenders back and is always incisive with his dribbling. He says it's a kick on his hamstring but I fear that is not really the reality.
"Nobody is scientifically developed enough to predict when a guy will get injured. We are not in a position to predict it. Our tests looked like he was alright - the tests showed he had no problem with a normal stretch.
"There are plenty of players across Europe who play in every single game. At the moment we are a bit short because of injuries."
Wenger also shed further light on Koscielny and Cazorla's injuries, while admitting his disappointment at his side's recent results in the league.
"When [Cazorla] was down he got a kick on the knee. We don'tknow if he's hurt a knee ligament or a kick on the nerve. The worrying thing is it got worse during the game.
"Koscielny is a kick on his hip, he couldn't move even now. Wewill have to asses them.
"We've had a bad spell with only two points from three games but we are still not far. At least we have an opportunity to come back."
Source: Goal
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