BUKAYO SAKA left Arsenal fans saying “I love him but…” as he missed a penalty against Barcelona.
The England star, 21, has become Mikel Arteta’s leading man after netting 27 goals in the last two seasons.
APBukayo Saka missed a penalty in Arsenal’s 5-3 win over Barcelona[/caption]
APArsenal fans urged Mikel Arteta to take Saka over spot-kick duties after another failed effort[/caption]
A bumper new contract saw him become Arsenal’s highest earner in May.
And last month Saka hit the first hat-trick of his career in England’s 7-0 win over North Macedonia.
The winger was on target again in the early hours of Thursday morning, guiding Arsenal to a 5-3 win over Barcelona.
Saka needed just 13 minutes to score following Robert Lewandowski’s seventh minute opener.
But with the score tied in the 21st minute, Saka blew the chance to put Arsenal ahead from the spot.
Despite sending the goalie the wrong way, Saka put his own shot wide of the post.
The miss brought flashbacks of his failed penalty in April’s 2-2 draw with West Ham, the period in which Arsenal blew their title hopes to Man City.
Saka was also one of the unlucky few to blow his lines in England’s Euro 2020 shootout defeat to Italy.
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And Arsenal fans urged boss Arteta to remove the star from spot-kick duty, despite him being one of their favourite players.
A fan said: “I love Saka but he needs to come off penalties.”
Another declared: “We can’t afford to be missing crucial penalties next season.”
One noted: “How many more before he stops taking them?”
Another added: “He needs to get off that duty, he was part of the reason Arsenal bottled the league.”
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