Sky Sports pundit hails Zinchenko in Arsenal win over Everton

By Giuseppe Labellarte

Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko earned praise from Sky Sports pundit Jay Bothroyd for the role he played in Bukayo Saka’s opener against Everton.

The pressure was on Mikel Arteta’s charges as they sought to make the most of their Premier League game in hand on Wednesday night.

A win for Arsenal would’ve seen them go five points clear of a high-quality, relentless Manchester City outfit.

For much of the first half, the Gunners were once again labouring on the pitch against the Toffees.

And with that 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park still fresh in the mind, Arsenal fans could’ve been forgiven for being worried.

However, this all changed in the 40th minute, when Bukayo Saka opened the scoring at the Emirates Stadium.

Zinchenko played the ball into the feet of Saka, who got the better of Vitaliy Mykolenko.

The Arsenal forward then took a few neat touches and fired past Jordan Pickford from a tight angle.

‘Trying to make something happen’

While Bothroyd loved Saka’s goal, he also paid tribute to Zinchenko for his role in the build-up.

“What a great goal! He’s rifled that in,” Bothroyd said on Sky Sports News (1/3/23, 20:25).

“Zinchenko plays left back but he’s coming into midfield and trying to make something happen and he’s done it there.

“It was a great pass into Saka and Saka does what he’s been doing all season.”

From then on, the floodgates opened for Arsenal.

Gabriel Martinelli made the most of an Idrissa Gueye error to make it two on the stroke of half-time.

Then, in the second half, Martinelli netted once again and Martin Odegaard also got on the scoresheet.

A great result for Arsenal, with Zinchenko once again one of the unsung heroes of the day.