For the most part of the game against Chelsea, the scoreboard read 1-0 to Arsenal as the Gunners were successful in keeping their rivals at bay. But with less than 10 minutes to go, the usually reliable Bernd Leno went to punch the ball and completely missed it.
The ball fell kindly to Jorginho who scored with an empty net in front of him. After that, the North London club could not handle a Chelsea counter-attack and ended up losing 2-1. After the game, Leno took to Twitter and said:
“Very tough day today but I have to look forward”
https://twitter.com/Bernd_Leno/status/1211397749960253440
Leno has been one of the most impressive players for Arsenal this season and has produced some eye-catching saves which saved the team from further blushes. It was a little unfortunate that it was his mistake that proved to be the turning point against Chelsea.
Manager Mikel Arteta was also keen to point out that it is important to support the keeper. According to Express, he said:
“He will be down. When an error costs the team points, it’s harder. We have to lift him. He’s done a really good job since he joined this football club and we have to respect that.”
It is nice to see that the manager is backing him despite the error, as an incident like this can end up damaging the confidence of any player.
The North London club showed some signs of improvement during the match, as they looked defensively compact and were more impactful on the attack. If they had been a little more clinical, they would certainly have increased their lead and put the game beyond any doubt.
The Gunners now have a chance to get back to winning ways against Manchester United when they play them on the 1st of January. Arteta will be keen to see more of what Arsenal produced against Chelsea and Leno will be hoping that he can make amends for his mistake.
The squad needs to start winning soon if they are serious about making it back into the Champions League. The display against Chelsea will have given fans some hope and they will be wanting the players to do more of the same against United.
