Arsenal star Matt Turner has been slammed for his performance in the Europa League last-16 first-leg against Sporting CP by club icon Martin Keown. The Gunners goalkeeper was criticised for his role in both goals Sporting scored on Thursday night as Mikel Arteta's side head into the second-leg level with the Portuguese outfit.
Arteta is aware of the defensive concerns facing his team at present as the Spaniard admitted: "We are conceding too many simple goals. We spoke about the importance of boxes, especially in a competition when you’re in or out."
The north Londoners took the lead through William Saliba after just 22 minutes, with the French international heading home a perfectly-weighted Fabio Vieira corner. However, Sporting went level just 12 minutes later, scoring a corner of their own through Goncalo Inacio, with Turner being criticised for his role in conceding the equaliser.
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Speaking on BT Sport at half-time, Keown said: "Really he's killed everyone, because he's started to come and then doesn't. But [Jakub] Kiwior, too, he's got to do a little bit more than that.
"I'm thinking that I'm going to have to go and head things because I can't necessarily trust him. There he has come and win it and be dominant and he didn't do it."
Following the game, Keown doubled down on his criticism of Turner as the Arsenal legend added: "He [Turner] had a first scary moments in the first half. He’s got to come and be dominant and win the ball from the corner, but he didn’t do it.
"The goalkeeper has to learn from it. You make up your mind to come for the ball and you go and reach it at the highest point.
"If you look, the goalkeeper comes and then he backs off. He kills the central defenders. I tell you what I'd do when I'm playing for the next one, I'm coming, I'm heading that.
"I'll take my own goalkeeper out because I can't rely on him. For sure, (Aaron) Ramsdale would have come and dealt with it.
"But then it's a goalkeeper who's not played much football, so let's give him a little bit of a break, but then he has to learn doesn't he? He has to learn quickly from his mistakes."
Turner appeared to backtrack after appearing to come for the corner that led to Inacio with a simple header to equalise. The American keeper then made another poor decision to parry a shot straight into the path of Paulinho, who fired in Sporting's second goal of the game.
Arteta was also critical of how Arsenal conceded Inacio's equaliser in his post-match interview. The Gunners boss said: "I don’t know what it was.
"It’s very difficult when it happens in a second. But for sure in that space, somebody cannot have a free header and you concede a goal because it’s too simple," the Spaniard added.
Ramsdale is set to return to the starting lineup for the Premier League clash against Fulham this weekend, but Turner may be given a chance to redeem himself in the second-leg against Sporting next Thursday at the Emirates Stadium.
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