Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted preparations for his side’s win over Brentford were derailed by a bug which swept through his squad.The Gunners came from a goal down to complete a 3-1 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium to move back up to second and six points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool to keep their title dream alive.But Arteta revealed several of his players were struck down by a virus on the eve of the game.Kai Havertz was sent home with the bug, while Declan Rice was a surprise starter on the bench.Captain Martin Odegaard was rumoured to be struggling in the hours ahead of kick-off. However, he was able to start the fixture before he was replaced in the second period.“It affected players on the pitch and off the pitch,” said Arteta when quizzed about the bug.“It is nothing serious. But it wasn’t the ideal situation. In relation to the symptoms, with Kai it was obvious. He wasn’t feeling well at all. He had very clear symptoms so stay away from it, put him in a car, and go back to London.
