Arsenal fans claim they 'have moved beyond' Zinchenko and BLAST his display

Arsenal fans have been left stunned by Oleksandr Zinchenko's defending during their 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa on Sunday.

The Gunners missed the chance to return to the top of the Premier League as they fell to late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins.

Mikel Arteta's side were uncharacteristically poor defensively and gave up three big chances at the Emirates - more than half as many as they had conceded in the previous 11 league fixtures.

Several members of the Gunners squad failed to replicate the performances that put them in the driving seat to win a maiden league title in 20 years. And Zinchenko may have been top of that list with a a litany of errors, one in particular which has gained the attention of supporters on social media.

Deep into the second half, Villa launched a ball behind the Arsenal defence that had operated in unison to maintain their high defensive line. All but the Ukrainian, who had dropped five yards deeper than his team-mates to cover the run of Bailey, rather than let him run into an offside position.

The  27-year-old's lack of awareness shocked many fans, with some claiming the club has outgrown the former Manchester City defender.

'This is a tough watch,' wrote on user on X, formerly Twitter.

'We’ve simply moved beyond this guy.' Began another. 'Our left back area is targeted by everyone, currently we have no-one good enough to play there. has to be a priority in the summer.

A third said: 'If he ever starts a game for Arsenal again with a full squad… It’s an ineptitude of the highest order. Gives the ball away. Gives us nothing with the ball. Has defended terribly for the whole season.'

Zinchenko's move from the Etihad last summer was vital in Arsenal's transition to a Premier League title-chasing outfit. The fullback is known for his quality on the ball and is regularly inverted by Arteta to create overloads in the centre of the pitch.

However, not only has his offensive contribution reduced this term but his defending has also been lacking.

Villa did not fashion a goalscoring opportunity from Zinchenko's lapse in concentration but he did share some of the blame for the visitor's opener, after getting caught in no man's land on the right before seeing Bailey tap-in the ball from the area which he should have been stationed.

In another instance, the fullback was relieved to see Youri Tielemans' shot cannon of the post crossbar and then post after the Belgian claimed possession from Zinchenko's giveaway.

Sunday's result leaves Mikel Arteta's side two points behind leaders Manchester City with six games to play. The side travel to Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday before a tricky trip to Molineux to face Wolves.