Laurent Koscielny Braved Painful Gash to the Leg During Arsenal's Victory Over Manchester United

Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny put in the ultimate captain's performance against Manchester United on Sunday, playing all 90 minutes, keeping a clean

Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny put in the ultimate captain's performance against Manchester United on Sunday, playing all 90 minutes, keeping a clean sheet, and leading his side to victory, all the while suffering from a painful leg injury.

The Gunners breathed new life into their push for a top-four Premier League finish as Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored to put Arsenal 2-0 ahead of Manchester United at the Emirates.

Catherine Ivill/GettyImages

Unai Emery's men put in a resolute display to keep United at bay, with Koscielny a major part of their staunch resistance.

However, according to football.london, the Frenchman finished the latter parts of the match with a horrific gash in his leg which was simply clamped on the touchline as Koscielny refused to leave the pitch.

Club officials say Koscielny played with a three-inch gash in his leg for the final part of the game, which got clamped together on the pitch when he was down for treatment.

— Mattias Karén (@MattiasKaren) March 10, 2019

Laurent Koscielny ended today's match with a three inch gash in his leg that needed to be clamped together on the pitch. The sort of injury that would usually force a player out of the game.

— James Benge (@jamesbenge) March 10, 2019

Koscielny has struggled immensely with injuries over the last year, forcing him to miss France's triumphant World Cup campaign and making just 12 Premier League appearances this campaign.

Despite the significant injury troubles, Koscielny remains an essential member of Emery's squad, captaining the side when available, and his presence was clearly felt as the Gunners kept a clean sheet against the league's arguably most in-form side.

Yet another brilliant performance from the captain today. #koscielny #captain #lolo https://t.co/GmdQcEFwgp

— Stuart MacFarlane (@Stuart_PhotoAFC) March 10, 2019

United entered the match undefeated in domestic competition under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager, but Koscielny and his defence were able to thwart Solskjaer's powerful attacking line with an impassioned display, consigning the Norwegian to a first Premier League defeat at the United helm.

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The crucial victory sees Arsenal climb back into fourth place two points ahead of the Red Devils, and they will hope to keep the momentum going by bouncing back against Rennes in the Europa League on Thursday, with the French side winning the first leg 3-1.