Takehiro Tomiyasu has revealed what his Arsenal teammates said to him after his costly blunder in the 3-1 Premier League defeat to Manchester City.
Tomiyasu’s mistake – in which he played a poor backpass to Ramsdale – saw Kevin De Bruyne intercept and loop a shot over the Arsenal goalie which handed City the lead, as they claimed a huge win over their title rivals.
That result at the Emirates on February 15 saw Man City leapfrog the Gunners at the top of the league table but results since have seen Arsenal retake top spot and they are now back in first, two points clear of Guardiola’s side with an outstanding game.
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Tomiyasu, 24, who had been handed a rare start over Ben White in that game and has since been reduced back to the bench, has now discussed his error in an interview with Arsenal’s website.
‘I remember the game against Man City at home I made a mistake and I gave them the first goal,’ Tomiyasu said.
‘But after that everyone came to me and just told me to keep my head up. They helped me a lot. ‘Unfortunately we couldn’t win the game but afterwards I told myself that this game has to be a process.
‘I need to learn from the mistake and I need to bounce back because it’s finished now. I needed to be positive and they helped me.’
Tomiyasu, who moved to the Emirates in 2021 from Bologna, will register his 50th Arsenal appearance if he plays against Everton on Wednesday.
‘I didn’t know, it’s come so quickly!’ Tomiyasu added. ‘It’s special to me because Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and I’m happy to play for this club.
‘When you play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, there is big competition all the time and Ben White has been playing very well, so I just have to be patient.
‘When I play, I just give everything for the team, so I need to be ready all of the time.
‘When I arrived here, I didn’t know what to do for the team because I didn’t know how Mikel wanted me to play, but now I understand. Hopefully I am better than when I arrived here!’
