David Raya delivers another cross as Arsenal hold off Tottenham's comeback Photo: Getty Images/Charlotte Wilson
At backdrop to all Arsenal's subsequent celebrations After the 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Mikel Arteta rescued his goalkeeper in the tightest of hugs. David Raya did more than anyone else to turn the game around, allowing Spurs to get back into contention, but he also did more than anyone else to ensure Arsenal ultimately retained three precious points.
Much of the attention will be on Rai's catastrophic mistake in which he passed the ball straight to Spurs defender Christian Romero. It was a mistake that allowed Spurs to score, changed the atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and changed the situation completely.
But for Arteta and Arsenal, it was the reaction to that error that demonstrated Raya's quality and underlined why they saw him as an upgrade from Aaron Ramsdale last summer. Under intense pressure, Raya pulled himself together and then repeatedly frustrated Spurs with his remarkable ability to intercept crosses.
From the 79th minute until the final whistle, Ange Postecoglou's team made 10 crosses into the Arsenal penalty area. Five of them were stopped by Raya, who constantly jumped forward, flying into the air and catching these circling weights. Every time he did so, he undermined the hope and faith of his opponents.
The Spaniard is a goalkeeper of many qualities and is best known for his ability on the ball. However, the way he handles crosses is perhaps his most impressive quality. No other goalie in the division is as aggressive and effective when opponents' shots are heading towards his goal.
In the Premier League this season, the most frequently used goalkeepers stopped an average of 6.6% of crosses coming into their box. For Rai, his personal average is significantly higher: 12 percent. That's the highest percentage in the division and a huge improvement on Ramsdale, who stopped 5.8 percent of crosses last season.
When Arteta hugged Raya after the game, he praised his goalkeeper's mentality. “Mistakes are part of football and you learn from them,” Raya said. “What he [Arteta] said was just about the character I showed after the mistake. I thought I was very strong mentally and simply forgot about the mistake. I just kept playing my game. I think I showed that in the last 20 minutes.
“The last few minutes were a little shaky for the people outside, but for us that's our job. I really, really enjoyed this challenge – keeping the ball out of the net and trying to help the team as much as possible with crosses.”
Christian Romero shoots past Raya to score after the Arsenal goalkeeper accidentally passes the ball to a Spurs defender. Photo: PA/Zach Goodwin
Raya His crossing ability is made even more remarkable by his relatively short stature for a goalkeeper. The 28-year-old is only about six feet tall. But what he lacks in reach, he makes up for in athleticism and positioning.
Raya is very aggressive in his starting position, often being well away from the goal line when serving the ball. This sometimes causes him problems: earlier this season against Chelsea he was caught when Mikhail Mudryk flicked the ball over him into the far corner. However, most of the time his progressive stance allows him to rush forward to collect the ball.
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For example, in Sunday's match against Spurs, he burst outside his six-yard box and made two crosses from the right flank. The moment he reached the ball he was almost on the penalty spot. He also showed off his agility, throwing deeper shots that required him to retreat sharply, and diving to block Son Heung-min's powerful cross.
“He was sensational in the last 20 or 25 minutes of the fight. said Arteta of Rai, who has the most clean sheets of any Premier League goalkeeper this season. “This is what I love.”
Raya's athleticism is a key reason for his success in cross country. He has quick feet, honed by years of intense work in the gym, and is resilient enough to jump into the air under a high ball. It helps that he has abnormally large hands for someone his size.
For many players, the mental demands of a title race can be a burden. Raya insists that this is a chance for him to show off his class. “I don’t feel the pressure,” he said when asked if he was enjoying the pressure of fighting for the title. “When the situation is tense, as you say, it's an opportunity to show what you can do.”
Raya certainly does that. After a difficult first few months, when Ramsdale's popularity made it difficult for him to win over certain Arsenal support groups, Raya proved to the world why the club were so keen to invest around £30 million (the deal will be made permanent this summer) on his services and is so convinced that he can take Arsenal's defense to the next level.
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