The moment that caused bust-up between Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko after Nottingham Forest game

Arsenal teammates Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko had to be physically separated after arguing over the goal they conceded during Tuesday night’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest.

Mikel Arteta’s side gave themselves a two-goal cushion thanks to second-half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka but they failed to keep a clean sheet as Taiwo Awoniyi scored an 88th-minute goal on his return from injury.

It was a frustrating end to what was a solid performance from the Gunners, who now sit second in the Premier League table. But despite picking up all three points, things turned nasty after the full-time whistle.

As they made their way off the pitch, Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko could be seen squaring up to each other during an angry exchange, with tensions getting so heated that the pair had to be pulled apart by set-piece coach Nicolas Jover.

So why did White and Zinchenko exchange words after the 2-1 win? According to Sky Sports, the post-match celebrations were cut short when the pair argued over the goal they conceded.

The Ukraine international played Gonzalo Montiel onside before the Argentine full-back headed across to Awoniyi, who beat goalkeeper David Raya with a neat finish.

White was seemingly unhappy with Zinchenko’s positioning in the build-up to Awoniyi’s goal and made his feelings known at full-time, but Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he “loved” the exchange.

When asked about the incident in his post-match interview, Arteta said: “That’s pushing each other and not being happy with conceding nothing. I have to encourage that and promote it in the right way and a respectful game.