A section of the Arsenal supporters have criticised the performance of Henrikh Mkhitaryan following the club’s 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Sunday.
The north London side had gone into the game with a view of keeping their slender top-four hopes alive with a win, but they failed to do as they settled for a frustrating stalemate.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoresheet after just nine minutes through a spot kick and the Gunners managed to hold on to their slender lead until the hour mark, where Brighton were allowed to score from the penalty spot after a needless trip on Solly March by Granit Xhaka.
While the Swiss was the sole reason for the penalty conceded, a section of the supporters have put the blame on Mkhitaryan, whose misplaced pass in the first place allowed Brighton to lodge a counter-attack.
Here are some of the tweets….
Name me a player that goes from world class to championship level in the same game. I can, Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
— Sash ~ (@ltarsenal) May 5, 2019
Mkhitaryan there… easiest pass he could make all day. Costs us a goal. Bin.
— JB™️ (@gunnerpunner) May 5, 2019
https://twitter.com/GurjitAFC/status/1125116682018668544
That penalty is Mkhitaryan’s fault
— Nqaba Matshazi (@nqabamatshazi) May 5, 2019
Should have left mkhitaryan at United totally useless
— justin (@justin2345) May 5, 2019
Mkhitaryan has failed to replicate his form from his Borussia Dortmund days since heading to the Premier League and his lack of consistency has called for criticism from the fans during the past 14 months with the Gunners.
As such, the latest performance has not done much to improve on the fans’ reaction towards him and the 30-year-old faces the risk of being offloaded during the summer unless he can significantly influence the club’s campaign in the Europa League.
The Gunners can return to the Champions League next term by winning the competition but so far, they are yet to reach the final. The Capital side hold a 3-1 advantage over Valencia after the first leg and they need to produce a huge showing on the road to reach their first European final since 2006.
