Takehiro Tomiyasu, an Arsenal defender, has spoken out about his gaffe in the Gunners’ 3-1 loss to Manchester City earlier this month.

Arsenal star Takehiro Tomiyasu has opened up on how his teammates reacted to his blunder during his side’s 3-1 loss to Manchester City earlier this month.

The Japanese international under-hit a backpass for goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, with the ball landing to Manchester City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne instead. The former Chelsea midfielder finished delicately first-time to give the Citizens the lead before they eventually cancelled out Bukayo Saka’s equaliser by scoring twice in a thrilling second half at the Emirates Stadium.

After the game, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta admitted that it was an uncharacteristic error from Tomiyasu, saying: “I’ve never seen Tomiyasu make that pass back in seven years and he did it today. It’s part of it and they have the quality to punish you.”

Now, the 24-year-old has spoken about how his teammates reacted after his mistake, praising them for helping him recover. Speaking to the club’s website, he said “We are a young squad and I feel like I’m part of the family.

“I remember the game against Man City at home I made a mistake and I gave them the first goal, but after that everyone came to me and just told me to keep my head up. They helped me a lot.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t win the game but afterwards I told myself that this game has to be a process. I need to learn from the mistake and I need to bounce back because it’s finished now. I needed to be positive and they helped me.”

source: www.football.london