Mikel Arteta hailed David Raya’s “courage” in Arsenal’s win over Manchester City, as the Gunners boss urged any anxious supporters to take our their frustration on him.
Arsenal made a major statement as they earned a 1-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium, Gabriel Martinelli’s late deflected strike enough to end the eight-year wait for a Premier League win over City.
It leaves the Gunners second in the Premier League table heading into the international break, level on points and goal different with Spurs who sit top.
Arsenal’s win came despite a somewhat nervy start, with Nathan Ake wasting a big early chance and Raya producing a couple of loose passes that City threatened to punish. The visitors almost took the lead when Julian Alvarez charged down the goalkeeper’s clearance, but the ball rebounded into the side-netting.
Sections of the home fans inside the stadium increasingly urged Raya to go long when he had the ball at his feet, the nervous energy clear, but Arteta was proud of his goalkeeper for sticking to what was asked of him.
“What I like is the courage,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“It doesn’t happen, keep doing it and keep doing it. It’s the team that we are. We have to continue to do that. The crowd needs to understand that - if not, shout at me because it’s my fault!
“You’re going to have these moments against this team, you’re going to give balls away in this phase.”
Raya has established himself as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, with Aaron Ramsdale having to settle for a place on the bench in the Premier League and Champions League. His opportunities to impress look set to be only in the Carabao Cup for now.
City managed just four shots across the match, with Gvardiol’s effort inside five minutes the only one of those to force Raya into action.
While he did not have much to do in terms of shot-stopping, there was still plenty that impressed his manager.
“He was excellent,” Arteta continued.
“He can misplace one or two passes and I can demand him to stop the ball when he needs to, to get understanding, clarity and provoke the opponents.
“Overall, the way he controlled the area, how dominant he was, how high he played - he was excellent. I love players with big courage and David definitely has one big ones.”
