Albert Sambi Lokonga 'stormed down the tunnel' shortly after 'visibly annoyed' Martin Odegaard laid into him
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Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga appeared to storm down the Etihad Stadium tunnel following Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup.
Nathan Ake's goal in the second half was enough for City to secure passage to the fifth round at the expense of Mikel Arteta's side, who are the current Premier League leaders.
The Gunners boss opted to make six changes from Sunday's 3-2 win over Manchester United. One player who kept his place was Thomas Partey, but he came off with an injury at halftime for Lokonga.
City started to take control following the break, with the breakthrough coming following a period of sustained pressure. Jack Grealish managed to drag Takehiro Tomiyasu and Bukayo Saka out wide, opening up space for Ake to attack.
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It's space Lokonga should've had covered, but Ake managed to curl a lovely effort past Matt Turner with his weak foot to send the home crowd wild.
Lokonga's positioning continued to be an issue all game. As the contest entered injury time, Martin Odegaard let his frustrations get the better of him.
The Arsenal captain, who replaced Bukayo Saka in the second half, gestured to Lokonga as he vacated space in the middle of the park.
He attempted to cover it himself as City's centre-backs probed for an opening. Seeing the clock tick down, Odegaard attempted to force the issue and nick the ball from Ilkay Gundogan. The Germany international went down and referee Paul Tierney gave City a free-kick.
I mean look at this😭💔 pic.twitter.com/YElgRzDeX5
— A N Z A (@Andile_anza_m) January 27, 2023
Less than minutes later, the game was over and Lokonga was already heading to the dressing room.
Fans online have reacted to the footage, admitting the 23-year-old is struggling right now.
One person tweeted: "Odegaard told Lokonga to get into position three times and he still didn't wanna listen."
Another put: "I've seen enough and so have they."
Someone said: "You can see why Odegaard was BLASTING him."
While a fourth added: "At one point, Odegaard was yelling at Lokonga and pointing to the midfield. Something as basic as being well positioned, the guy still lacks."
ITV pundit Roy Keane criticised Arteta's decision to rotate in such a big game. He said pre-match: "We thought he’d make one or two, but that’s such a gamble to make so many changes at the back, especially with the attacking players Man City have got.
"The priority for Arsenal – because they’ve had such a great start – is of course the league. But I just think to make so many changes defensively, people talking about the priorities, but it’s still January. They’ve got no midweek game coming up.
"Huge risk and I’m pretty sure it will backfire on him."
Featured Image Credit: @ClockEndH/Twitter & ITV Sport
Topics: Arsenal, Manchester City, FA Cup, Martin Odegaard
