OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO booted a free kick straight in Sebastian Coates’ face, and fans are convinced he did it for revenge.
Minutes earlier, tempers flared between the Ukrainian and the Uruguayan after William Saliba headed the Gunners ahead.
ReutersZinchenko and Coates arguing after Arsenal took the lead at Sporting[/caption]
BT SportZinchenko then blasted the ball in Coates’ face[/caption]
BT SportA number of Arsenal fans reckoned Zinchenko booted it at Coates out of revenge[/caption]
Following the incident, one fan tweeted: “Zinchenko kicking it straight at coates! ”
And another wrote: “Zinchenko smacked that free kick onto Coates’s face. Revenge complete”
A third fan stated: “Zinchenko literally took his revenge on Coates with that free kick haha..”
Sporting were raging after Arsenal’s goal, claiming Zinchenko fouled their defender off the ball to allow Saliba to net.
And their fury almost boiled over as Zinchenko and Coates became involved in a scuffle.
Midfielder Granit Xhaka was quickly on the scene to help his team-mate out as the referee looked to restore order as quickly as possible.
Following a VAR check, the goal was given for Arsenal.
But the lead did not last as the Portuguese side netted a close range header of their own.
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Goncalo Inacio comfortably beat debutant Jakub Kiwior to the ball as the Pole had a first half to forget.
Kiwior signed for £21m from Serie A side Spezia in January.
Sporting then took the lead as Paulinho tapped the ball home from close range after 55 minutes.