“Everyone came to me…” – Takehiro Tomiyasu reveals what Arsenal teammates told him after his blunder

Takehiro Tomiyasu has revealed what his Arsenal teammates said to him after his costly mistake in the 3-1 Premier League home defeat to Manchester City.

Tomiyasu’s blunder – in which he played a poor backpass to Aaron Ramsdale – saw Kevin De Bruyne intercept and loop a shot over the Arsenal goalkeeper which handed City the lead, as they eventually claimed a huge win over their title rivals.

That result at the Emirates on February 15 saw City leapfrog the Gunners at the top of the table but results since have seen Arsenal retake top spot and they are now back in first, two points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side with a game in hand.

Japan international right-back Tomiyasu, 24, who had been handed a rare start over Ben White in that match and has since been reduced back to the bench, has now opened up about his error in an interview with Arsenal’s website.

‘I remember the game against Man City at home I made a mistake and I gave them the first goal,’ Tomiyasu said.

‘But after that everyone came to me and just told me to keep my head up. They helped me a lot.

‘Unfortunately we couldn’t win the game but afterwards I told myself that this game has to be a process.

‘I need to learn from the mistake and I need to bounce back because it’s finished now. I needed to be positive and they helped me.’

Tomiyasu, who moved to the Emirates in 2021 from Italian club Bologna, will register his 50th Arsenal appearance if he features against Everton on Wednesday.

‘I didn’t know, it’s come so quickly!’ Tomiyasu added. ‘It’s special to me because Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and I’m happy to play for this club.

‘When you play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, there is big competition all the time and Ben White has been playing very well, so I just have to be patient.

‘When I play, I just give everything for the team, so I need to be ready all of the time.

‘When I arrived here, I didn’t know what to do for the team because I didn’t know how Mikel wanted me to play, but now I understand. Hopefully I am better than when I arrived here!’