Bukayo Saka breaks silence after costly Arsenal penalty miss

The 21-year-old missed a second-half penalty while Arsenal led West Ham by a single goal.

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has apologized for his penalty miss against West Ham and vowed to make amends.

Saka missed a 52nd-minute spot-kick in Sunday’s London derby against West Ham. Had he scored, Arsenal would’ve gone 3-1 up. Instead, the Gunners gave away another goal, causing them to settle for a second straight 2-2 draw.

“Regardless of the outcome, I’ll always accept my responsibility,” Saka later posted on Instagram. “Apologies Gunners, I’ll do everything I can to make it right.”

Arteta backs Saka

In response to Saka’s miss, Mikel Arteta rose to the winger’s defense, backing him to continue taking spot-kicks.

“A player who takes penalties misses penalties, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t,” the Arsenal manager said.

“If I had to pick one player to do it, it would be him again. At that moment we missed it and this is football.”

Saka has enjoyed his finest Premier League season in an Arsenal jersey so far, registering 12 goals and 10 assists in 31 appearances.

Arsenal remain four points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. However, with the Citizens boasting a game in hand, every game between now and the end of the season is a must-win.