Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Reading defender Danzell Gravenberch deliberately kicked Lucas Perez in a "stupid" tackle that has sidelined the Gunners striker for up to eight weeks,
Perez, who signed for £17.1m in August, was taken off with an ankle injury after 72 minutes of Arsenal's 2-0 EFL Cup win on Tuesday.
"It's an injury coming from nowhere, and a stupid one, because it was a deliberate kick," said Wenger ahead of Saturday's trip to Sunderland. "It's very frustrating."
Wenger compared Gravenberch's challenge to the foul on Modou Barrow that saw Gunners midfielder Granit Xhaka sent off in his team's 3-2 win over Swansea on 15 October.