Oleksandr Zinchenko got swept up in the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium before Arsenal took on Liverpool on Sunday.
The Arsenal fans created an electric energy at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and Oleksandr Zinchenko certainly felt the effects of it prior to kick-off.
The Arsenal supporters clearly recognised the huge importance of this match. Defeat would have seen the north London club cast eight points adrift of top spot in the title race, and would have all but ended their hopes of being crowned Premier League champions.
As it played out, though, the Gunners produced a dominant performance and were deserved 3-1 winners against Jurgen Klopp’s league leaders.
After Leandro Trossard’s late goal to seal the points, and the final whistle, there were jubilant scenes in north London. Mikel Arteta celebrated with the fans, whilst club captain Martin Odegaard was spotted taking pictures of the official Arsenal club photographer, Stuart MacFarlane.
There are those who felt that the Gunners’ celebrations were over the top. TV presenter Richard Keys accused Arteta of lacking “class”. Meanwhile, Jamie Carragher was not impressed by Odegaard’s antics.
However, these celebrations were the cathartic release of all the pressure, anxiety, and hope that had been building up since before the match began. These scenes were the crescendo in a spectacle of fan interaction that had been brewing all afternoon.
Oleksandr Zinchenko seen sharing moment with Arsenal fans
The Arsenal fans played their part in getting the players over the line in this game. They gave the players energy to feed off, and support in the periods of the game when Liverpool enjoyed some attacking momentum.
As noted by Tim Stillman on the Arsenal Vision Podcast, the Arsenal fans were ready to generate this atmosphere from the off and it was felt by the players, specifically Zinchenko. Stillman said, “a big part of that [win] was drawing on the energy of the crowd. Before the game, you can always pitch it by how people engage with The Angel, the Louis Dunford song, before the game, and it was ear-splitting…Zinchenko is on my side, and I hope someone has a video of him singing it as well, before the game, because he’s walking over to left-back and just looking up at the sky, like, screaming every word.”
The chorus of The Angel, by Arsenal fan and musician Louis Dunford, featuring the “North London Forever” lyric, has been sung before the club’s home matches for some time, becoming something of an anthem. Clearly, the players connect with it, as evidenced by Zinchenko’s behaviour. This story also demonstrates how the atmosphere generated by fans in the stadium feeds into the players on the pitch.
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