Xuenou > Sports > Arsenal keeper Karl Hein has disastrous debut as he slips over before giving Brighton pen
Arsenal keeper Karl Hein has disastrous debut as he slips over before giving Brighton pen
Mikel Arteta handed 20-year-old goalkeeper Karl Hein his Arsenal debut in the club's Carabao Cup third round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night

Arsenal keeper Karl Hein has disastrous debut as he slips over before giving Brighton pen

Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein endured a disastrous debut as he slipped over before giving away a penalty against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 20-year-old stopper was handed his first competitive appearance for the Gunners on Wednesday night as they welcomed Brighton to the Emirates Stadium in the Carabao Cup third round. However, he was left with his head in his hands before the half hour mark after losing his footing when Danny Welbeck was played in on goal.

Hein's slip meant that he was beaten to the ball by the former Arsenal forward, tripping him and leaving referee Jarred Gillett with no choice but to point to the penalty spot.

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Welbeck then picked himself up to send Hein the wrong way and slot the ball into the bottom right corner. His goal pulled the visitors level after Eddie Nketiah had earlier given Arsenal the lead.

Gunners fans were divided on social media when reacting to footage of the incident, with one tweeting: “Should’ve just played Turner.”

Another added: “Lol he’s so unlucky.” Meanwhile, a third supporter went on to comment: “Our keeper looks fortunate not to have got a red card.”

What is the worst debut you have seen a player have? Let us know in the comments section below.

Karl Hein
Karl Hein slipped as he ran out to meet Danny Welbeck (Image: twitter/footballdaily)

After the break, things went from bad to worse for Arsenal and Hein as Kauru Mitoma completed the turn around to give Brighton the lead in the 58th minute.

Hein joined the club from Nomme United in his native Estonia back in 2018 at the age of just 16 and is already a senior international.

He also spent two months on loan at Championship side Reading last season, making five appearances before the spell was cut short due to a finger injury.

Having previously been named on the bench in both the Europa League and the Premier League, he was favoured to usual deputy Matt Turner by Mikel Arteta on Wednesday to make his Arsenal debut.

Hein in action during Arsenal's clash with Brighton
Hein in action during Arsenal's clash with Brighton (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Hein was one of 10 changes from Sunday's win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with William Saliba the only player to keep his place in the starting line-up.

The win over Chelsea saw Arteta's side keep their place at the top of the Premier League, two points clear of champions Manchester City ahead of the last round of matches before the World Cup break.

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