ARSENAL fans watched through their fingers… as their on-loan goalkeeper let the ball through his.
Arthur Okonkwo, 22, is spending the 2023-24 season with Wrexham as Ben Foster’s replacement.
AlamyArthur Okonkwo escaped after an almighty blunder[/caption]
XHe messed up a routine catch away at MK Dons[/caption]
XThe ball bounced towards the line[/caption]
XHe dived back and got his gloves back on the ball[/caption]
And the youngster made a very lucky escape in the League Two clash against MK Dons on Tuesday night.
Okonkwo suffered a goalkeeper’s nightmare when a routine catch went horribly wrong.
Instead of clutching on to the ball, he somehow spilled it backwards, sending it bouncing towards the goal.
The former Crewe and Sturm Graz loanee desperately scrambled back and made a last-ditch dive to grab the ball before it crossed the line.
He ended up seemingly pushing it on to – if not over – the line.
And plenty were convinced Okonkwo should have been penalised for his blunder because they were convinced the ball went in.
Some even sensationally insisted this was the latest in a series of dodgy decisions to go Wrexham’s way as part of a bigger conspiracy theory.
One said: “I have no words.”
Another wrote: “Clearly a goal wtf.”
A third typed: “Did we get away with Okonkwo bringing the ball into the goal and the goal not given? Yes.”
A fourth quipped: “We got away with that Okonkwo save hahahaha.”
And a fifth added the “pretends to be shocked” meme.
Others, though, were not convinced due to the lack of available camera angles.
One responded: “Tbf, there’s absolutely no way you can say, conclusively, that’s over the line.”
Another replied: “It doesn’t look great but you’re right, you can’t say for certain.”
It is not the first time this season Okonkwo’s goalkeeping has been in the spotlight.
Against Blackburn in the FA Cup last month, the England Under-18 star – who had just returned from jaw surgery – came rushing out of his penalty area, gifting Rovers an easy finish.
That prompted cutting comments like “he’s lost the plot”, “yikes” and “lettuce hands” online.
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Other than the nervy heart-stopping moment when the ball wriggled free from his grasp, Wrexham fans were absolutely delighted with Okonkwo’s performance at MK Dons as he made a string of massive saves, including in injury time.
The Red Dragons – co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – headed back to North Wales with a 1-1 draw.
James McClean fired the visitors in front but Dan Kemp levelled four minutes later before both sides had a man sent off after the break.
One Wrexham supporter said: “Arthur Okonkwo, what a guy.”
Another commented: “Thank goodness for Okonkwo. What a gem.”
And a third declared: “Arthur Okonkwo is my man crush. Decent point. We move on.”
XOkonkwo scrambled back desperately[/caption]
XMK Dons players and fans were convinced it went in[/caption]
XThe Arsenal loanee breathed a huge sigh of relief[/caption]
XOkonkwo made a string of important saves in the 1-1 draw[/caption]