Arsenal Stars Accused of Over-Celebration Before Title Collapse

• Gary Neville singled out Oleksandr Zinchenko in Arsenal’s collapse in their title challenge
• Neville, who works as a pundit on Sky Sports used a clip of Zinchenko overly celebrating as a reference
• According to Neville, Zinchenko and other Arsenal stars got ahead of themselves with celebrations

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has accused the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko of over-celebrating in the wake of Arsenal’s collapse in the title race.

Manchester City could be crowned Champions as early as on Saturday, May 20, if the Gunners lose to Nottingham Forest in what would be Pep Guardiola’s fourth league title in five years.

For Arsenal, their 3-0 defeat to Brighton all but ended their title hopes, and Gary Neville believes some Arsenal players got ahead of themselves weeks ago.

He used a clip of Zinchenko honking his car horn while shouting “come on”, to make his point of Arsenal getting too excited about their title surge.

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The clip in question is from Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Crystal Palace in March, with the victory taking them eight points clear of Manchester City, as reported on BBC.

While analyzing the Gunners’ loss to Brighton, Neville said in Sky Sport’s Monday Night Football show:

“I always doubted whether this Arsenal team [could win the title], just looking at some of the things that were happening.”

“The over-celebrations against Aston Villa [after the 4-2 win in February]. I look at little things that might look a little bit harsh - Zinchenko celebrating an hour after the game with the fans outside and screaming.”

According to Gary Neville, Arsenal should have had ‘leaders in the team’ who would have perhaps helped in keeping the players’ heads level, especially while competing against a team as strong as Manchester City for the title.

 Gary Neville on Partey

Sports Brief also reported on Gary Neville’s take on Thomas Partey’s role in Arsenal’s collapse.

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According to Neville, the Black Stars man failed to show up at the critical moments.

"He’s been in a shadow of himself in the last few weeks, Partey," he said.

"He has been nowhere near it. A large part of the season, he has been fantastic. His form and composure have deserted him at the most vital time."