I’m embarrassed!’ – Riccardo Calafiori admits regret at Mikel Arteta celebration during Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at Man City

The Italy international scored a stunning goal into the top corner at the Etihad last month in the 2-2 draw, with the 22-year-old wheeling away in celebration and pointing wildly every which way. The former Bologna star then embraced manager Mikel Arteta but looking back on it now, Calafiori appears to regret his actions.

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  WHAT RICCARDO CALAFIORI SAID

  He told BBC Football Focus: “You couldn’t play a more difficult game than this. When he [Gabriel Martinelli] played the ball to me, I just say now I want to shoot in the top bins, you call it like this? Or in the corner. I don’t know, it’s not myself who run to Arteta, it was another person, I don’t know. And I was kept doing this [pointing] but I don’t know to who, I swear. I was like blank. Yeah, I’m embarrassed. What have I done? What have I done?”

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Calafiori swapped Bologna for Arsenal this summer in a £42 million ($54m) deal. Since then, he has impressed as a stand-in centre-back and left-back. The Italian will hope he can keep the Gunners’ defence secure and maybe chip in with the odd goal in their bid to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The former Roma player could feature for Arsenal – who sit third in the Premier League table – when they travel to 13th-placed Bournemouth on Saturday evening.