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