Arteta lauds Raya heroics however left wanting extra after Atalanta draw
Arteta lauds Raya heroics however left wanting extra after Atalanta draw


“I witnessed two of the perfect saves I’ve ever seen in my profession,” have been the phrases of Mikel Arteta following David Raya’s heroics in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Atalanta.

The Gunners kickstarted their Champions League marketing campaign with some extent, however the end result might have been a lot completely different if not for Raya’s beautiful intervention.

Atalanta had the chance to take the lead six minutes into the second half when Ederson was introduced down by Thomas Partey inside the world.

Mateo Retegui assumed accountability from 12 yards, solely to see Raya dive to his proper to avoid wasting earlier than springing again to his ft to disclaim the Italian’s header on the follow-up.

“I witnessed two of the perfect saves I’ve ever seen in my profession from David in that second,” Arteta mentioned.

“Should you can’t win, it’s a must to take the purpose. We began nicely, then we misplaced management and have been very inconsistent. We didn’t endure defensively, aside from the penalty.”

Raya’s heroics even drew reward from Arteta’s reverse quantity, Gian Piero Gasperini, who described the double save as “unbelievable”.

“He’s a cat. The primary save is sweet however the rebound is unbelievable. The goalkeeper has been essential,” Gasperini mentioned.

The Spaniard turned simply the fourth Arsenal goalkeeper to avoid wasting a spot-kick within the Champions League, after Richard Wright, Jens Lehmann and Lukasz Fabianski (all two).

Raya has now additionally saved 4 of the final eight penalties he has confronted in all competitions, together with shoot-outs, having conceded 19 in a row beforehand.

However the Arsenal goalkeeper remained modest in gentle of his involvement on what proved to be a troublesome night time for the Gunners.

“It was only a penalty, and I used to be fortunate to go the correct manner,” Raya began.

“I used to be unfortunate that the rebound went straight to him, however I used to be fast sufficient to rise up and put it aside.

“It’s unbelievable to have the ability to maintain the clear sheet and to assist the staff to get not less than some extent.

“We all know this can be a robust place to return, they’re an impressive staff and put a variety of stress on us.

“We made it very troublesome for them as nicely, they didn’t create many possibilities, the penalty and that’s it.

“It’s some extent away from house within the first recreation of the Champions League. We might have performed higher, however I assumed we managed the sport nicely.

“We weren’t at our greatest so if we can’t win the sport, let’s not lose it.”

Regardless of the purpose on the Gewiss Stadium, Arteta was left wanting extra from his gamers, who struggled within the attacking third in opposition to final season’s Europa League winners.

The Gunners tried simply six pictures in opposition to Atalanta, their fewest in a Champions League away recreation in 10 years, since having simply 5 pictures in opposition to Borussia Dortmund in 2014.

Arsenal have additionally now failed to attain in three consecutive Champions League away video games for the primary time since February 2007, whereas they’re winless in four-straight video games (D2 L2) on the street within the competitors for the primary time since September 2011 (D1 L3).

With a visit to Premier League champions Manchester Metropolis this weekend, Arteta is searching for a response from his squad.

“We had moments with the ball however we by no means received it into dominance or menace,” he mentioned.

“The primary 25 minutes we learn their strategy actually good. After that we misplaced management of the sport.”





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