Riccardo Calafiori responds to Arsenal controversy with perfect three-word message

Riccardo Calafiori has delivered the ideal response after Arsenal entered the October international break top of the Premier League table. The Gunners beat West Ham United 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with Liverpool's defeat to a dramatic late Chelsea winner just hours later providing the perfect cherry on top.

A Declan Rice strike and Bukayo Saka's spot-kick secured a fourth straight triumph for Mikel Arteta's team, who have now managed five clean sheets during an impressive seven-match undefeated streak.

Fitness concerns have provided the sole dampener over recent weeks, with Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard and Rice all picking up knocks. The latter pair were both taken off against the Hammers, with Arteta's post-match assessment far from encouraging.

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"I think he [Odegaard] had a clash knee-to-knee, and immediately he was uncomfortable, I just spoke to him, he's not positive about it, he's got a brace on, we'll have to wait and see from the doctors, but we haven't been very unlucky with that either," Arteta confessed during his post-match press conference.

Regarding Rice, he continued: "Well, he's not alright because he asked me to come off, so that's a shame. So, he had pain in his back and he could not carry on, which is something very unusual for Declan, so we'll have to assess him and see how he is."

Despite the injury concerns surrounding Odegaard and Rice, the October international break could not have come at a better time for Arsenal, who now have a two-week respite.

There real worries remain over Odegaard though, with it now being confirmed that he won't be playing for his country during the domestic hiatus, but it's expected that Rice will join up with the England squad on Monday.

Aside from these issues, Arteta will be thrilled with Arsenal's performance after seven matches, boasting five victories with the only points lost coming against Liverpool and Man City. He faced heavy criticism for his conservative strategy against Pep Guardiola's team, but he pulled out all the stops in the thrilling comeback victory over Newcastle United.

The rivalry between the two teams has intensified over the years, marked by heated encounters, and that certainly explained why Calafiori's controversial attempt to dry the ball for a long throw-in using a towel was meet with boos.

That was because Premier League regulations stipulate that clubs must agree to the use of towels due to the multi-ball system, something that was evidently not agreed upon at St James' Park. Calafiori was visibly upset when Dan Burn snatched the towel away from him, but he would have been pleased with how things turned out a few weeks later.

Back at Arsenal's home ground, it certainly appeared as though an understanding was reached regarding their use with the Italy international capitalising fully and delivering a perfect message.

Via his Instagram story, Calafiori posted: "3 massive points! ! ! And a towel [heart eyes emoji]."

Calafiori was at his attacking best against West Ham and came close to netting his second goal of the campaign but his long-range strike rebounded off the woodwork.

Following a difficult debut season at the club, mainly due to injury setbacks, the versatile defender appears to be finding his rhythm and keeping Myles Lewis-Skelly out of the side.

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