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Football London
Football London
Sport
Robert Warlow

'The real Arsenal are back!' - Fans mock Ainsley Maitland-Niles after own goal against Barcelona

It had all been going so well for Arsenal.

The Gunners have impressed for large periods in pre-season, with some fine results against Bayern Munich and Fiorentina last month, and a close contest with Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup.

But the Gunners lost out against Lyon in the Emirates Cup last weekend, before a win on penalties against French side Angers in midweek, following a 1-1 draw.

And Arsenal were playing well and leading 1-0 against Barcelona this evening (Sunday), thanks to a fine strike from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a strong defensive effort amid pressure from the hosts in the Joan Gamper Trophy clash.

But just as the Gunners looked to be ending pre-season on a high with a victory against the Catalan giants, Unai Emery's men gifted the La Liga side an equaliser, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles putting through his own net under little pressure.

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The goal, which levelled the game at 1-1, came as a result of a miscommunication, with Bernd Leno off his line and Maitland-Niles passing the ball past his goalkeeper and into the net, despite the best efforts on the line of Sokratis.

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez then struck a late winner as Barcelona claimed a 2-1 victory.

But unsurprisingly, it was Maitland-Niles' mistake that prompted a response from fans on social media, with Arsenal supporters and rival fans quick to mock the England U21 international.

Here's what some fans have been saying on Twitter this evening (Sunday).

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