Oleksandr Zinchenko was seen looking distraught on the bench in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday and at one stage looked to be in tears.
It was a thrilling clash between the two sides, with Mikel Arteta’s team racing into a 2-0 lead inside the opening 30 minutes before Liverpool started to gain a foothold on the tie.
Mohamed Salah started the comeback with a goal on the cusp of half-time before Firmino got a late equaliser to break Arsenal hearts.
Had the Gunners held their nerve, they would have been in a good position when it comes to the title race. Instead, their advantage was cut to just six points, as well as having played one game more than Manchester City.
The goal that got a draw saw Trent Alexander-Arnold nutmeg Zinchenko, who really should have done better before the England international lofted a cross into the area for Firmino to head home.
According to talkSPORT, Zinchenko’s tears stemmed from the fact that he felt responsible for throwing the game away for Arsenal at such a vital stage of the run-in.
The former City defender came in for some serious criticism come full-time, as Jamie Carragher laid into Zinchenko for the way he failed to deal with Alexander-Arnold.
“I can’t get Zinchenko out of my head,” Carragher claimed. “The league title’s on the line, you’ve got to be more aggressive. That can’t happen.
“There’s got to be more intensity from Zinchenko. It’s almost like he’s training and doesn’t want the ball to go through his legs.”
His fellow Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane said a similar thing, as he added: “You think about the modern full-back and the obsession is how good they are going forward.
“I think they have lacked that real pride in defending. Zinchenko had to get down low. It’s all far too easy – especially if you’re going to win titles.”
