Arsenal receive boost after Manchester City star player ruled out for four weeks

It's bad news for one of Arsenal's title rivals, Manchester City - their star goalkeeper, Ederson, is expected to be out of action for four weeks after sustaining a muscle injury in their game against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

This is according to a report featured on BBC Sport. City are set to square off against the Gunners on March 31 - they will be without the 30-year-old for this crucial crunch clash. Moreover, he also won't be fit to play against Newcastle United in the quarter finals of the FA Cup.

Ederson has been almost ever-present for the Citizens this season. He has played in all but one of their Premier League games thus far - the only game he did not start in was when City defeated Brighton by a score of 2-1 back in October. As things stand, he has made 27 Premier League appearances for City so far this season, conceding 25 goals and keeping nine clean sheets.

How will this affect Manchester City moving forwards this season?

Not only is Ederson one of the Sky Blues' best players, they also do not have a particularly stellar replacement for the Brazilian. Their backup 'keeper is Stefan Ortega - while far from below par, he is not on the level that Ederson generally operates at. Beyond that, their other option is Scott Carson, who is now 38 years of age and was never a world class goalkeeper even in his prime.

As such, this will be a bitter blow for Pep Guardiola's men and certainly something they should be concerned about. Liverpool have a similar problem - their first-choice 'keeper, Alisson, is also out of action with an injury. As such, the door seems to be wide open for Arsenal to put some distance between them and their rivals.