Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya says there was an element of luck in his penalty save on Thursday night. The Spaniard denied Mateo Retegui from the penalty spot as Arsenal secured a 0-0 draw.
The Gunners were under pressure for most parts of the game and it showed in the statistics; Atalanta had 52% possession. The Italian side had six shots in the second half, and Arsenal only managed one.
Raya’s double save played a huge part in the result, he saved the penalty and denied the follow up too.
Despite how close Atalanta came to beating Arsenal, Mikel Arteta says his team did not ‘suffer’: “We lost control of the game because we were very inconsistent with the ball,”
“Defensively we didn’t suffer, that’s the reality. We had a late chance with Martinelli to win the game but unfortunately it didn’t go in. We have to improve.”
David Raya reveals what happened during the penalty
The Arsenal keeper admits that saving the penalty was down to a bit of luck:
“I was lucky to go the right way and unlucky for the rebound to go straight back to him. I was quick enough to get up and save the rebound.” He said on Sky Sports.
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During the VAR check for the penalty, Raya went to the sidelines to speak to Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach, he revealed what they spoke about:
“I took the decision to go to the sideline because it was a long wait and a long time to decide if it was a penalty or not. So I went to the sidelines to speak with the goalkeeping coach to have more sense of which way to go and which way not to go. What to do and what not to do.
“He helped me a lot in every aspect so credit to him as well. He does all the work with everything, so it’s great for him as well.”
Mikel Arteta glad Arsenal didn’t lose ‘tricky’ game
In the press conference before the Atalanta game, Mikel Arteta spoke on Arsenal’s away form in Europe. Thursday night’s result now means the Gunners have one away win in their last five in the Champions League.
Mikel Arteta says the team showed maturity in avoiding defeat in Italy:
“It’s a really tricky game emotionally to play. They are man-orientated so every action counts. When we had certain moments that didn’t go our way I could sense it, and the team was a little bit about to lose the discipline that this requires. I think we showed more maturity than last year. We could not see a way tonight to win it, so don’t lose it. But it’s certainly not the message that I want to be sending to the team.”
(SOURCE: Gooner Daily)
