David Raya after Arsenal's draw with Manchester United
David Raya was left frustrated after Arsenal's draw with Manchester United
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya disagreed with Peter Schmeichel's assessment that he had put in a world-class performance in Sunday's draw against Manchester United.
Raya made a number of big saves as Mikel Arteta't team earned a point at Old Trafford, with Declan Rice equalising after Bruno Fernandes broke the deadlock in first half stoppage-time. However, the Spaniard felt his distribution left a bit to be desired.
Arsenal have now gone three games without a win in he Premier League after losing to West Ham and drawing at Nottingham Forest. They sit 15 points behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand, and four ahead of Forest in third.
Former United keeper Schmeichel was covering the game for Premier League productions and was full of praise for Raya. However, the Gunners star - ever the perfectionist - still felt there was room for improvement.
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"Defensively yes, attacking I could’ve done a little bit better," Raya said, as reported by Metro. "The standards that I give to myself and I with the team I should’ve been better with decision making sometimes in the second half where we could’ve played more to break the press.
"Sometimes United press very well, very aggressively man to man and it’s tough but my demands are a bit higher than that and I want to do the best for the team. I know I made a few passes that were risky and I put [William] Saliba into a little bit of trouble but that’s just my standards"
Schmeichel was particularly impressed with a save he called "unbelievable" in the final minute. Raya first stopped an effort from Fernandes, and then quickly got back to his feet to prevent the ball spinning back over the line.
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David Raya during Manchester United vs Arsenal
Raya made a crucial late intervention to prevent a Manchester United winner
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Image:
Getty Images)
Arsenal scorer Rice also pointed to Raya's save after the final whistle. However, the former West Ham star used it as an example of the team coming close to throwing away a point rather than their keeper saving one.
"The chance at the end with Bruno and David making two great saves, that's why I say that naivety," Rice told Sky Sports. "It was down to us and we could have thrown the game away.
"Like the manager said, we'll keep going until the end of the season. Liverpool have been amazing all year. We're Arsenal. We've been hit hard by injuries. We'll keep going and we'll be alright."
Next up for Arsenal is the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against PSV, with manager Arteta expected to ring the changes after winning 7-1 in Eindhoven. Their final league game before the international break comes at home to Chelsea, who sit just six points behind their fellow Londoners after beating Leicester on Sunday.
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