Arsenal star David Raya was labelled as “extraordinary” by manager Mikel Arteta and as the “best keeper in the world” by teammate Kai Havertz following the 1-0 win at Sporting in Lisbon on Tuesday night.
German international Havertz was the match-winner in Portugal, giving the Premier League leaders a late victory in the first leg of the Uefa Champions League quarter-final tie.
But it was the performance of Raya at the other end of the pitch that proved pivotal, with the Spaniard pulling off some remarkable saves to leave those of an Arsenal persuasion wondering if there's anyone better than their No 1.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, Havertz said: "[Raya] is still underestimated in the world of football. For the last two seasons, he has been the best keeper in the world.”
Before Havertz's strike, it was Raya who had kept Arsenal alive with a wonderful save to deny Maxi Araujo. He then also produced a fine double stop late in the contest before Havertz’s winner in the first minute of stoppage time.
Raya the man for big moments
It was not the first time this season that Raya had come to Arsenal's rescue. His season has been littered with fine individual performances which have laid the foundation for Arsenal's incredible defensive record.
Last month, it was teenaged teammate Max Dowman who grabbed the headlines after a crucial victory over Everton. However, it was Raya's sensational save to thwart Beto when the scores were tied at 0-0 that gave his side the opportunity to go on and win the game. It was the type of moment he has produced on a regular basis in an Arsenal shirt.
“He’s extraordinary, magnificent, and incredible,” said Arteta of Raya. “I don’t know the adjective, the right one. And with that, it’s enough. We are so happy to have him.”
Raya has kept 22 clean sheets in 41 appearances in all competitions this season – four more than the next best – Yann Sommer of Inter Milan (18) – across Europe's top five leagues. Seven of those clean sheets have come in the Champions League – more than any other keeper – and he also has a tournament high 90 per cent save ratio.
Arsenal travelled to Sporting after back-to-back losses and with their character in question after seeing their hopes of domestic cup silverware evaporate.
However, notably, Raya did not feature in either of those setbacks. Boss Arteta chose to stick with cup goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for the defeats by Manchester City in the League Cup final and Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final.
'There was a shift' – Arteta
Arsenal's last-gasp win in Lisbon gave them a major boost and could avert their recent blip from becoming something more serious.
They remain nine points clear in the Premier League title race ahead of Saturday's home game against Bournemouth. Win that and they will move 12 points clear of rivals City who face Chelsea a day later at Stamford Bridge.
Arteta said: “It was a big night, a big moment in the season. Especially where we were coming from. We had a point to prove.
“Yesterday I talked about identity and the things that I wanted to see on that pitch. It certainly happened. There was a shift there, against a big opponent.
“The best thing that you can do instead of talk is observe. Look around you and see how people react. How they talk, how they look at you, how they judge you, what they do, do they look at themselves, do they start to criticise other people? Look around, and you’re going to learn the environment and the people that you have around you.
“And I cannot be prouder to work in a club with people that only ask: ‘What else can I do to help?’ And when you have people like this, I don’t know if it’s going to take another week or two, but something really will happen at the end because we deserve it.”
