Arsenal misfit told he’s ‘lost the crowd’ after display in Aston Villa draw

Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead against Aston Villa on Saturday, denting their Premier League title hopes and seeing star Raheem Sterling come in for more criticism

Arsenal star Raheem Sterling has been told that he’s ‘lost the crowd’ as his difficult loan spell from Chelsea goes on.

Sterling, 30, has failed to score a single Premier League since joining the Gunners in August, having been frozen out at Chelsea. The 82-time England international linked up with former Manchester City coach Mikel Arteta in a move which was supposed to reignite his career.

But Sterling still looks a shadow of his former self, with his late cameo against Aston Villa doing little to change that widespread belief. The ex-City winger was brought on in the 82nd minute, with Arsenal have just thrown away a two-goal lead.

Sterling’s only notable involvement was the yellow card he picked in added time, giving away a cheap foul as the Gunners chased a late winner. It didn’t come, with Arsenal forced to settle for their eighth league draw of the season which leaves them six points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who’ve played one game fewer.

Moments after Sterling’s yellow card, former Chelsea and Everton winger Pat Nevin declared on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Raheem Sterling has lost the crowd. It is really tough for him.”

The 30-year-old looked back to square one against Villa after a bright display in midweek when Tottenham were the visitors. Sterling was handed a start in the north London derby, with Arsenal coming away 2-1 winners.

Arteta was pleased with his display, believing that there’s more to come. “Yeah, for sure we can get a lot from Raz. We are getting much more than we used to get [from him] a few weeks back,” the Gunners boss said.

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“Obviously, his involvement has been much higher and he’s going to be capital. Now he’s got more rhythm and more minutes, he had an injury that he’s coming back from, but, overall, I think he can give us a lot.”

But with fellow forwards Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka ruled out with serious injuries, Arteta doesn’t want to be relying on Sterling and his current attacking options for the rest of the season. “I don’t know how many teams are playing at this level in the league,” he said. “When you look at the bench you probably say, ‘Look at the bench, we are very, very short’.”

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