David Raya doesn't think it was his "best save" for Arsenal as the goalkeeper pulled off an unbelievable stop to deny Aston Villa a crucial goal.
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Arsenal breezed past Aston VillaRaya kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 winMade great reflex save to deny WatkinsWHAT HAPPENED?
The crucial save came when Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins was presented with a golden opportunity to put his team ahead before the hour mark. As a deflected shot from Amadou Onana looped over Raya, it seemed certain that Watkins would capitalise on the fortunate bounce off the bar.
Raya, sprawled on the ground with time appearing to stand still, watched as Watkins closed in on the loose ball, seemingly with an open goal at his mercy. But as Watkins aimed his header, Raya miraculously stretched out to claw the ball away from danger.
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The momentum of the match shifted dramatically following Raya’s incredible save. Within 15 minutes of the incident, substitute Leandro Trossard broke the deadlock by scoring the opener for Arsenal. The Gunners quickly doubled their lead when Thomas Partey found the back of the net just 10 minutes later, effectively securing the win.
WHAT RAYA SAID
In a post-match interview with , Raya reflected on the save, emphasizing the collective effort of the team rather than focusing on his individual heroics.
"It was a crucial moment in the game where it was 0-0 and they had chances and I was there to save Ollie's [Watkins] header," he said. "I think of what I remember, it's a shot from outside the box. I'm on the floor so I try to get up and I can't reach it. I just see Ollie going in there so I react as quickly as possible I put my hand there and there's no one there to get the ball."
When asked if the save was the reward for the hard yards that he puts in training, he replied: "It's just a repetition of things. You do drills and have to save one ball and get up to save another. This time it paid off. This is a reaction one, I don't think it's my best save. I try to help the team as much as possible to win games."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RAYA?
Raya has two clean sheets from the first two Premier League encounters and the Spaniard will look to continue his fine form when the Gunners host Brentford next Saturday in the English top flight.
