'It's well worth noticing': Sky reporter shares what he saw David Raya do just before his superb double save tonight
Yesterday at 05:15 PM
Arsenal secured a point in their first Champions League match of the season away at Atalanta.
The Gunners played on Thursday night, previously unheard of in the Champions League but now the norm after the competition’s revamp.
Arsenal held firm against last season’s Europa League winners, a side that had failed to score only once in their past 24 home games ahead of the Gunners clash.
However, the Gunners struggled on the attacking front themselves, misplacing far too many passes when they got into Atalanta’s half.
Nevertheless, Arsenal hung on for a point, and they have David Raya in particular to thank for the clean sheet.
The Spaniard was faced with a penalty after Thomas Partey was adjudged to have clipped Ederson in the Gunners box.
Raya went to his right, correctly guessing Mateo Retegui’s shot trajectory.
Then, when the ball rebounded to the Atalanta ace, the Arsenal keeper got up, scrambled across and thwarted his opponent’s follow-up effort.
Pundits, fans and neutrals loved what they saw from Raya, with Robbie Savage deeming the second stop one of the best saves he has ever seen.
Interestingly, Sky Sports picked up on something the Arsenal goalkeeper did before the penalty, as VAR decided whether to award a spot kick.
David Raya spoke to Arsenal goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana before Atalanta penalty
On 49 minutes, the Sky Sports live commentary update noted how Raya had gone ‘right out of his goal to have a chat with Arsenal goalkeeper (coach) Inaki Cana in the Gunners dugout’ .
Then, Sky Sports News journalist Gary Cotterill mentioned this again after Raya made the saves.
“Great double save,” Cotterill said on Sky Sports News. “It’s well worth noticing Raya went over to the technical area to converse with his coach.”
What next for Arsenal?
Arsenal have got through the Atalanta match unscathed and with a point, but now comes a huge game with regards to their Premier League title hopes.
The Gunners head to Manchester City on Sunday, with kick-off at the Etihad Stadium scheduled for 4:30pm BST.
