David Raya had some concerning moments against Manchester City (Picture: Getty Images)
David Raya ‘came good’ after some ‘difficult moments’ against Manchester City on Sunday, believes Arsenal legend Martin Keown.
The Gunners beat the Premier League champions 1-0 at the Emirates thanks to a late Gabriel Martinelli goal, in a huge result for Mikel Arteta’s side.
There were certainly some nervy moments for Raya in the first half as Arsenal played out from him at the back and City’s forwards pressed him heavily.
Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville labelled the Spaniard a ‘nervous wreck’ early in the game, especially after he nearly conceded a calamitous goal by taking too long on the ball and Julian Alvarez blocking a clearance.
Keown had sympathy for Raya, saying he is getting used to the style of play and in playing in massive matches since his summer move from Brentford.
The former Gunners defender admitted that the goalkeeper needs to be quicker in his decisions and with his feet, but felt that he had already improved by the end of the game.
‘As much as you want that player to play you want him to get rid of the ball when he needs to,’ Keown said on talkSPORT. ‘You’re asking him to take risks but you don’t over-do it and I thought he needed to be quicker yesterday, but I think maybe they needed to give him better solutions as well.
‘I was looking at City in the same situation and Ederson has obviously gone through that building process.
‘It is a lot different playing for Arsenal than it is playing for Brentford. We judged him by what he did at Brentford and you can see in those big games.
‘But by the end of the match I thought he’d come through it and he was sending some amazing balls. His accuracy wasn’t what it normally is yesterday and there were really difficult moments.
‘I think the manager, I spoke to him afterwards working for a foreign broadcaster, and I put it to him about the anxiety I could feel from the crowd.
‘He said, “that’s on me, I’m asking him to put his foot on the ball and wait for opportunities to come.”
Raya kept a clean sheet against Manchester City, much to the delight of Mikel Arteta (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Then it builds a nervousness from fans and they were getting on his back a little bit.’
The home crowd was certainly anxious with Raya’s performance in the first half, which Keown believes is also down to the fact that Aaron Ramsdale is very popular at the club and Raya has taken his place.
‘Ramsdale, who was a fan’s favourite, a big player and the fans are asking why he [Raya] is playing and Ramsdale’s not playing, after the mistake in midweek in the Champions League as well.
‘But in the end I think it came good and it might just be the making of Raya.’
MORE : Alan Shearer raises concern over ‘shaky’ Arsenal star after win over Man City
MORE : ‘I’ll pass on the message’ – Mikel Arteta responds to Martin Keown’s praise of Arsenal duo
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.