Bukayo Saka’s Arsenal team-mates have backed the winger to bounce back from his penalty miss against West Ham and play a decisive role in the title run-in.
Saka sent his spot-kick wide, as Arsenal blew a two-goal lead at the London Stadium on Sunday to draw 2-2.
Manchester City, who sit four points off the Gunners in second, are now favourites for the title. Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand on Arsenal and also host them at the Etihad Stadium a week on Wednesday.
Saka apologised for his penalty miss which would have restored Arsenal’s two-goal lead. Instead, the Hammers made it 2-2, as Jarrod Bowen struck just 140 seconds later.
“Regardless of the outcome, I’ll always accept my responsibility,” Saka wrote on Instagram. “Apologies Gunners, I’ll do everything I can to make it right.”
The penalty miss was Saka’s first since England’s shootout defeat by Italy in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley.
“This guy is so young, he’s 21. He’s so strong mentally. We are not worried about him,” said Granit Xhaka. “This is one more experience for his future.
“He will do it (bounce back) and he will show a reaction on Friday (against Southampton). It (missing penalties) happens, not only to him but to bigger players than him. This is part of the job, part of his career.
“It will not be the first and it will not be the last. This is the first I think since he was in the first team. So, if on Friday there is another penalty, I will push him to take it again.”
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who had put Arsenal 2-0 up after 10 minutes following Gabriel Jesus’s opener, is also confident Saka can put his spot-kick misery behind him.
“These things happen,” he said. “He has been brilliant all season, he has scored a lot of penalties. He has been clinical from the spot, but today wasn’t the day for him to score from there.”
Arsenal had been cruising, but they let West Ham back into the game. Sloppy play from Thomas Partey led to Gabriel bringing down Lucas Paqueta, with Said Benrahma slotting home the resultant penalty.
That goal before the break gave the Hammers, who are now four points above the relegation places, belief and Bowen completed the comeback nine minutes into the second half.
Arsenal are back in action on Friday, when they host bottom-of-the-table Southampton, and Xhaka has called for unity.
“If something is not going well, it is easy to show the finger to someone else,” he said. “Now, it is the time to be together, because there are seven games to go.
“If someone thinks that we go through the last eight games without any dropped points or smashing teams, you are not in the right position.
“We we will go first to Southampton at home and after to the Etihad with the same objective as we had before the game today.”
