9 months ago
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Arsenal stars Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko had to be separated following the hard-fought 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.
While their teammates were delighted to close the gap on leaders Liverpool to two points, the two full-backs were spotted involved in a heated exchange.
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As the Gunners squad celebrated together while going over to applaud the travelling fans, White and Zinchenko were seen in a verbal war of words, before they pointed fingers at each other.
Set piece coach Nicolas Jover had to get in the middle of the two, while record signing Declan Rice also played mediator.
Reiss Nelson - a late substitute at the City Ground - then joined in to drag Zinchenko away, while Jover escorted White away from the Ukraine international.
It was at that time that boss Mikel Arteta grabbed Zinchenko, who had started walking in the direction of White.
The ex-Manchester City man pleaded his views to the Spaniard, with Arteta eventually managing to finally calm him down.
Such unsavoury scenes may upset fans or even Arteta himself as the club look win a first Premier League title since 2004.
But the ex-Gunners skipper has admitted that he loved what he saw, as he stated the two players were upset over conceding late on.
Speaking to TNT Sports about the incident, Arteta said: "That’s pushing each other and being not happy conceding.
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"And I have to encourage that and promote it in the right way and a respectful way.
"Sometimes after the game it’s too emotional and heated.
"But I love that the players are pushing each other and demanding excellence.
"And today we conceded a goal that is not at the level that we want.”
Arsenal have scooped maximum points on offer in 2024 so far - the first time they have won their opening two fixtures of a calendar year in a decade.
And they know that victory over Liverpool at the Emirates on Sunday will see them leapfrog Jurgen Klopp's men in the table if Liverpool lost to Chelsea on Wednesday night.
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