Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli spotted in protective boot following Brighton defeat

Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli has been spotted leaving the Emirates in a protective boot as things go from bad to worse for Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal's title hopes were all but diminished by Brighton on Sunday afternoon, as the Seagulls came away 3-0 winners in a major boost to their European hopes.

Julio Encsio broke the deadlock early in the second half, heading home Pervis Estupinan's cross to leave the Gunners with an uphill battle.

Deniz Undav then lobbed Aaron Ramsdale after Leandro Trossard gave away possession, before Estupinan capped off an impressive win with a first-time strike into the roof of the net.

However, rewind to the first 10 minutes and Martinelli was amongst the thick of the action.

Martinelli spotted in protective boot

Martinelli recklessly barged into Kaoru Mitoma early on in the contest, sending the Japan international hurtling towards the turf.

To many supporters' surprise, the Gunners' winger wasn't booked for the challenge despite calls for him to be sent off.

Moments later Moises Caicedo got revenge, sliding in on the Brazilian in a nasty looking challenge.

Unable to shrug the injury off, Martinelli had to be withdrawn from the action and was replaced by former Brighton winger, Trossard.

While the extent of the injury remains unknown, Martinelli could be seen shaking hands at full-time wearing a protective boot.

Simon Collings of the Evening Standard has since reported that he has left the Emirates still donning the boot, causing concern for supporters that his season may be over.

Indeed, his prospective absence is unlikely to be the end of the world, with the Premier League trophy now out of reach barring a miracle.

The 21-year-old would join an injury list seemingly growing by the day, which includes first-team stars Oleksandr Zincheno and William Saliba.