HECTOR BELLERIN had Arsenal fans fuming as his howler gifted Chelsea a winner in their pre-season friendly.
The Spaniard, 26, came on at right-back, replacing Calum Chambers at the Emirates.
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But just three minutes after Granit Xhaka had cancelled out Kai Havertz’s first-half opener, Bellerin threw it away.
His careless, misplaced pass across his own penalty area went straight to Tammy Abraham.
And the Chelsea striker gratefully accepted the present, taking one touch to open up his body before sliding into the bottom corner past Bernd Leno with his second.
That proved the winning goal as Chelsea ran out 2-1 winners – and there was more bad news for Mikel Arteta as Thomas Partey suffered an ankle injury that the manager admitted ‘doesn’t look good’.
Bellerin has been linked with a transfer away from Arsenal for much of the summer with Barcelona, PSG and Inter Milan keen.
But it appears Mikel Arteta may have made a U-turn and decide to keep him, with reports suggesting he could be offered a new contract.
However, supporters were quick to voice their concerns on Twitter following his blunder.
One wrote: “Seriously just give Bellerin away for free.”
Another said: “Is today the proof Arteta needs that Bellerín isn’t good enough?”
And a third added: “Players like Hector Bellerin still around, guy has been a complete joke for a while, and with two weeks before the season he’s still making mistakes. Sigh.”
Bellerin joined Arsenal from Barcelona in 2011 and has two years left to run on his current contract.
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But he has struggled to replicate his top form since returning from a cruel ACL knee injury.
And he has slipped down in Arteta’s pecking order, playing just three of the final 13 Premier League games of the 2020-21 campaign.
The Gunners kick off the new season away at newly-promoted Brentford on August 13 but take on rivals Spurs in their final warm-up game next Sunday.
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