William Saliba absolutely loved what Piero Hincapie did in the 62nd minute vs Chelsea

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Chelsea in an eventful London derby at Stamford Bridge, a game that Piero Hincapie started.

There was a panic when the team news was announced, as William Saliba was not named in the Arsenal squad. 

It was revealed that Saliba had sustained a knock in training, keeping him out of the fixture, seeing Hincapie start alongside Cristhian Mosquera in central defence. 

The fixture was a lively one for the two summer signings to start in, and despite the inability to keep a clean sheet, Hincapie earned Saliba’s approval.

William Saliba loved Piero Hincapie’s tackle on Pedro Neto

Arsenal fans were concerned about Hincapie and Mosquera early into the contest, but the pair grew into the game.

The Ecuadorian made his presence known as the game progressed, with Saliba approving of what he saw in the 62nd minute.

When the score was level, Pedro Neto was running onto the ball in the box, but Hincapie slid in to prevent the danger, triggering a passionate reaction from the defender.

Over on the bench, Saliba was seen to stand to applaud Hincapie’s tackle in the box, raising his arms in celebration, as per journalist Tom Canton. 

Gabriel and Saliba often celebrate their tackles, and Hincapie did the same, celebrating his intervention in Neto’s face, which prompted the Chelsea winger to smile at the Arsenal star.

Mosquera drifted over to pull his central defensive partner away from any drama, as tensions were already high in the London derby, and Hincapie was on a yellow card.

What Mikel Arteta said about Saliba’s injury

Heading to Stamford Bridge without Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes was a nightmare for Arsenal, with the Gunners hopeful to have the Frenchman back promptly.

Speaking before kick-off, Mikel Arteta assured that he doesn’t consider Saliba’s injury to be major, but was unwilling to take the risk of playing him.

“Yesterday in training, he was uncomfortable, so we need to explore a little bit more what happened. I don’t think it’s something major, but enough not to be involved in the game.”

Saliba made the trip across the capital with his teammates and supported from the touchline, clearly liking what he saw from Hincapie.