BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 18: Oleksandr Zinchenko
of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Arsenal FC at Villa Park on February 18, 2023 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal star Aaron Ramsdale hailed team-mate Oleksandr Zinchenko after the role he played in the Gunners’ dramatic win against Aston Villa.
Mikel Arteta’s side regained top spot in the Premier League and remained there after Manchester City’s draw against Nottingham Forest later in the day.
The pressure was on Arsenal after the side’s defeat to City on Wednesday, which meant they’d taken just one point from their last nine.
Arsenal found themselves behind after just five minutes when Ollie Watkins opened the scoring and Villa retook the lead just before half-time following Bukayo Saka’s equaliser.
But Arsenal responded emphatically in the second half, with Zinchenko getting his side back on level terms and two late goals from Gabriel Martinelli and an own goal from Emi Martinez.
That gave Arsenal a crucial victory, with the side showing a resilience and maturity that has been lacking in recent years.
And Ramsdale says much of that is down to Zinchenko’s experience.
Arsenal secured a valuable victory (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
‘He brings a completely different dimension to the team and allows us to play the way we want to,’ said Ramsdale.
‘He’s been there and he’s done it. He’s got four out of five Premier Leagues [titles] so he knows what it takes to win.
‘He’s been brilliant, you see the passion he’s got. He’s only been here a couple of months but he’s a huge part of our group.’
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High praise.
