Fans shocked as on-loan Arsenal star Okonkwo appears to push the ball into his own goal
ARSENAL fans watched through their fingers… as their on-loan goalkeeper let the ball pass through his own.
Arthur Okonkwo, 22, will spend the 2023-2024 season at Wrexham as a replacement for Ben Foster.
11
11
11
And the youngster made a very fortunate escape in the League Two match against MK Dons on Tuesday evening.
Okonkwo suffered a goalkeeper's nightmare when a routine catch went horribly wrong.
Instead of holding onto the ball, he somehow spilled it backwards, causing it to bounce 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.
Finally, he seemingly pushed it right up to – if not over – the line.
And many were convinced Okonkwo should have been punished for his blunder because they were convinced the ball went in.
Some even sensationally insisted that this was the latest in a series of dodgy decisions to go Wrexham's way as part of a larger conspiracy theory.
One said: “I have no words.”
Another wrote: “It's clearly a goal wtf.”
A third typed: “Did we get away with Okonkwo putting the ball in the goal and the goal wasn't given? Yes.”
A fourth joked: “We got away with that Okonkwo save hahahaha.”
And a fifth added the 'pretends to be shocked' meme.
However, others were not convinced due to the lack of available camera angles.
One replied: “Tbf, there is absolutely no way to say for sure that this is over the border.”
Another replied: “It doesn't look great but you're right, you can't say for sure.”
It is not the first time this season that 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 – rushed out of his penalty area to give Rovers an easy finish.
That led to slashing comments like “he's lost the plot,” “yikes” and “slap hands” online.
11
11
11
Apart from the nerve-wracking moment when the ball came loose from his grasp, Wrexham fans were absolutely delighted with Okonkwo's performance at MK Dons as he made a series of huge saves, including in stoppage time.
The Red Dragons – co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – returned to North Wales with a 1-1 draw.
James McClean fired the visitors ahead but Dan Kemp leveled 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 God for Okonkwo. What a gem.”
And a third stated: “Arthur Okonkwo is my husband crush. Good point. Moving on.”
11
11
11
11