Raya was put under early pressure by Man City (Picture: Getty)
Gary Neville has labelled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya a ‘nervous wreck’ after his first-half performance against Manchester City.
Raya, who was at fault in the Champions League defeat to RC Lens on Tuesday, looked short on confidence on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates, put under constant pressure from City’s press.
The former Brentford shot stopper almost made a huge blunder in deciding to take a touch from Gabriel Magalhaes’ back pass, charged down by Julian Alvarez. Raya breathed a sigh of relief as the ball bounced into the side netting off the City forward.
On commentary duty for Sky Sports, Neville suggested Raya was still unnerved from the mistake he made midweek.
‘He’s just a bit jittery Raya,’ Neville said. ‘He’s not seeing things as clearly as Arsenal fans would like.
‘I can spot a keeper a mile off that’s a nervous wreck and there’s one right in front of you. The mistake in midweek he’s carried into this game, he’s not sharp enough and he’s very lucky.’
Neville was also stunned by the decision not to sent off Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic in the first-half.
Neville was not impressed with the Spaniard’s performance (Picture: Getty)
The former Chelsea star was shown a yellow card after 29 minutes after catching Martin Odegaard on the back of the leg with a rash challenge.
The incident was reviewed by VAR but was not deemed worthy of a sending off.
Six minutes later, Kovacic was under the spotlight again, this time catching Declan Rice in a vain attempt to win the ball. Referee Michael Oliver did not reach for a second yellow card, however, a decision that baffled Neville.
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He is very lucky,’ Neville said. ‘He gets Declan Rice’s right foot. What is he doing? I think he should be off. It is madness from Kovacic.
‘Pep Guardiola must be thinking about making a substitution. The first one is close, that one is just crazy. I’m happy for the game point of view that there is 11 vs 11 on the pitch. But that is crazy.
‘I think that’s a mistake [from the referee]. Kovacic has to go for that. I’m amazed he’s not.’
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