Bukayo Saka claims he ‘had to go down’ when asked how he won Arsenal’s penalty

Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka won and converted a penalty in the closing stages as the Gunners won 4-2 at Chelsea, but Cesar Azpilcueta had complaints about the call

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Arsenal star Bukayo Saka argued he needed to “go under” when questioned about the penalty in which he won the Gunners’ Premier League win at Chelsea.

The England international went down after being saved by Blues defender Cesar Azpilicueta in the closing stages and scored the resulting penalty to give Mikel Arteta’s side a 4-2 win. It was the first penalty he had taken since as he saw his penalty saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Euro 2020 final, and he found the corner when Edouard Mendy dived the wrong way.

Victory moves arsenal equal to fourth place Tottenham with both teams still having six games to play. After three straight defeats this may put even more pressure on the upcoming North London derby and Saka tried to allay doubts about Jon Moss’ decision to point to the point.

“Naturally [Azpilicueta] gonna be mad at me but it is what it is. It was a penalty,” said Saka.

“He held me for five seconds. I had to get down.”

Azpilicueta had earlier scored Chelsea’s second equalizer of the game, converting a Mason Mount cross to make it 2-2 at the break. However, the Spain international ended the game with a confrontation with his own team’s supporters in a game that took place thanks to a reduced crowd Chelsea’s Limited Operating License.

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Prior to the trip to Stamford Bridge, Arsenal had lost three in a row, damaging their chances of a top four finish. Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, however, Saka made it clear that he and his teammates were keen to provide an answer.

“We wanted to give the fans something to believe in us and I think we did that today,” said the 20-year-old. “We showed fight and character and it’s a great result for us.

“It means a lot to us. Losing three games in a row is really difficult.”

Eddie Nketiah gave Arsenal an early lead with his first goal First League Goal in more than a year, with Timo Werner leveling when his shot deflected off the edge of the box past Aaron Ramsdale. Emile Smith Rowe and Azpilicueta then traded goals before the break and Nketiah scored his second goal of the evening in the second period before Saka’s penalty sealed the win.

Arsenal and Tottenham have identical records following the Gunners’ result in west London, both having won 18, drawn three and lost 11 in their 32 games. However, Spurs’ superior goal difference means the Gunners may need to win the May 12 derby.

Before that, Arsenal have games against Manchester United, west ham and Leeds. Spurs interludes are against Brentford, Leicester City and Liverpool.