David Raya stood in the corner of the goal having just saved a penalty. Mateo Retegui – the man whose penalty was saved – licked his lips at the chance to make amends by heading the ball into an empty net.
But suddenly the goal was no longer empty. This is the story of Raya’s remarkable double save against Atalanta.
“That is probably one of the best saves I have seen in my career. It was incredible,” said coach Mikel Arteta after the goalless Champions League tie in Bergamo.
“He was very important last year, but this season he has started exceptionally. Today he kept us in the game, that’s the reality.”
In an instant, that was 1,227 expected goals for the Italian striker Retegui – and no actual goals.
Actually, he shouldn’t have given Raya a chance on the rebound, because his header went back into the middle, where the goalkeeper had begun his desperate dive.
Nevertheless, it was an incredible save that draws comparisons to one of Arsenal’s greatest saves – David Seaman’s save against Sheffield United striker Paul Peschisolido in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final.
“It was only a penalty and I was lucky that I went in the right direction,” Raya told TNT Sports afterwards.
“I was unlucky that the rebound went straight to him, but I was quick enough to get up and block it. It’s fantastic to prevent the goal and help the team to at least get a point.”
He added: “I’m fine right now.”
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton said on the BBC Champions League Match of the Day: “It was brilliant the way he got back up and carried on.”
“That’s a wonderful save. Retegui should convert the rebound, but not detract from the save.”
Those were the only saves Raya had to make all evening, 95 minutes and one second of nothing – with two seconds of action.
“He is a cat,” said Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
“The first save is good, but the rebound is incredible. I think the goalkeeper was decisive.”
Raya’s useful chat with Cana
Raya had to wait quite a while for the penalty to be taken while the referee reviewed the penalty via video assistant referee.
He used this time to switch to Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana.
The Spanish couple already have a long history together and have also worked together at Brentford.
“Inaki has completely changed my style as a goalkeeper. I am more proactive and can anticipate things that have not yet happened,” Raya said this summer.
“If you see me at Blackburn and then after I signed for Brentford, they are two completely different goalkeepers.”
After Raya spoke to Cana on Thursday, he came back and saved the penalty. And the rebound.
“It took me a long time to decide whether it was a penalty or not, so I just wanted to talk to the goalkeeping coach to get a better feel for which direction I should go, what I should do and what I should not do,” he said afterwards.
“He deserves praise because he helps me a lot in every way. He does all the work in everything and he also deserves praise for the rescue.”
Sutton said: “It’s really smart to go to the goalkeeping coach and ask which way Retegui is going to hit the ball.”
Raya’s penalty shootout form improves
Raya has taken 57 penalties in his career, including penalty shootouts, and has only saved seven of them.
But four of those saves came in the last eight shots against him. Before that, he had conceded 19 in a row.
In the round of 16 victory against Porto in the Champions League last season, he saved two penalties in the shootout.
“The first save is excellent, deep to his right,” said Leon Osman in the live commentary on BBC Radio 5.
“After the ball is cleared, it bounces to the left and David Raya gets up and runs over. Retegui thinks he just has to tap it in.
“This moment will be remembered throughout the game, David Raya’s double save.”
Raya makes the rivalry between Ramsdale seem like a distant memory
Tuesday marked the anniversary of Raya’s first game for Arsenal, when he was on loan from Brentford.
Aaron Ramsdale was the undisputed number one last season and retained that spot at the start of the 2023/24 season.
But once Raya pulled on the gloves, Arsenal never looked back – and Ramsdale moved to Southampton this summer.
“He’s so level-headed that he hasn’t changed a bit (throughout the whole situation),” said midfielder Declan Rice.
“When Rammers left the team and David was in the starting line-up, he didn’t change his manners or his behaviour.”
Raya has conceded 32 goals in 46 games for Arsenal, compared to the 99 goals Ramsdale conceded in 89 games.
Ramsdale failed to save any of the eleven penalties awarded to him by the Gunners.
Rice continued about Raya: “The pressure is huge. Last season he was our number one, now he is our absolute number one, there are no doubts or questions about that anymore.”
“That’s three games this season in which he has made decisive saves. He does everything right and lives well off the pitch too, and that shows on the pitch.”
