One of the games of Arsenal’s season so far was the Gunners’ dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta’s side headed to the Etihad on match day five of the Premier League campaign in what was a blockbuster clash early into the 2024/25 calendar.
The Gunners came up against Man City after missing out on the title to Pep Guardiola’s side for the previous two seasons, setting the scene for a drama-filled meeting.
Drama was exactly what fans got, as the two sides played out a 2-2 draw, with John Stones scoring at the death to save City a point in what was a resilient Arsenal display.
How Oleksandr Zinchenko reacted to Man City draw
There were so many talking points from the game, with few as prominent as Arsenal’s style of play.
Arteta had little choice but to defend his side’s 2-1 lead, as Leandro Trossard was shown a red card in the first half of the game.
Arsenal fought valiantly at the Etihad with 10 men, withstanding City’s pressure right until the dying embers, when Stones netted the equaliser.
The Gunners would have been devastated to have not walked away with the victory however, there was a sense of pride taken from what was a performance of great resilience.
Oleksandr Zinchenko recently opened up about how he reacted to his teammates’ display against his former club, sharing what he texted the group chat after the draw in an interview with The Guardian.
“I dropped a message in the group chat after the game. I just said: ‘You f*****g warriors. Honestly, you are warriors.’
“Wow, the second half was unbelievable because we all know how tough it is to play away against the best team in the world,” Zinchenko said.
The Ukrainian was absent due to injury but was proud of what his teammates produced when the stakes were at their highest.
Zinchenko’s role at Arsenal has changed dramatically
It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Zinchenko since he joined Arsenal in 2022 from City.
The left-back went from being one of the driving forces behind Arsenal’s title charge during the 2022/23 campaign, to a sporadically used squad player under Arteta.
- READ MORE: Oleksandr Zinchenko reveals ‘weird’ and hilarious prank Mikel Arteta ‘destroyed’ him with at Arsenal
Injury certainly hasn’t helped the 27-year-old’s claim to the starting XI, but neither has his form, being a point of concern in defence which has ultimately seen him replaced by players better suited to the manager’s needs.
Still, having the experience of a four-time Premier League winner in the squad isn’t all bad, with Zinchenko a proud member of the Arsenal squad, regardless of his role.
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