Arsenal fans criticise Oleksandr Zinchenko over congratulatory post to Manchester City

Some Arsenal fans have criticised Oleksandr Zinchenko after the Gunners congratulated former club Manchester City on winning the Champions League.

City lifted their first European Cup on Saturday after defeating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul. Rodri's precise 68th-minute strike separated the two sides.

There were a few moments of concern for Pep Guardiola's side in the latter stages, however, with goalkeeper Ederson having to produce an instinctive stop to deny Romelu Lukaku's close-range header.

Federico Dimarco, meanwhile, hit the crossbar, and Inter also came close from a last-minute corner.

But Simone Inzaghi's side could not find the winning goal, leaving City to celebrate the greatest triumph in the club's history in terms of major honours.

It was manager Guardiola's first Champions League success since 2011, when he spearheaded Barcelona to victory over Manchester United at Wembley.

Zinchenko, meanwhile, left City last summer to join Arsenal, and his attacking play and ability to shift into midfield has made him a successful addition to Mikel Arteta's side.

The Ukrainian previously spent six years at City after joining from Russian side FC Ufa. He started the 2021 Champions League final, which City lost 1-0 to Chelsea.

Arsenal fans criticise Zinchenko message

After the game, Zinchenko sent a congratulatory message to his former club on Instagram. Underneath a graphic entitled 'Champions of Europe', featuring City stars and Guardiola, the full-back responded with three clapping emojis.

The post didn't go down well with some Arsenal fans, however, given that the Gunners were involved in a close but unsuccessful race with City for this season's Premier League title.

One Arsenal fan wrote: "We're trying to compete with them man and he's congratulating them."

Another added: "This is pure nonsense from Zinchenko!"

Nah sell this guy asap… pic.twitter.com/iRR4OY2R1u

— 🌅 (@armzzotf) June 10, 2023

And a third wrote: "I'm sorry but you just can't do that to your title rivals."

One supporter stated: "I'm not going to lie, I don't like this."

However, many other fans saw no issue with Zinchenko congratulating his former team-mates on their success - and a club he played at for six years.

One said: "He's happy for his former team-mates and manager relax."

Another fan added: "Congratulating his previous team-mates and friends. What's wrong with that?"

And a third wrote: "It's called sportsmanship, he played there for how many years. Come on man, you guys need to take it down a bit."