Mikel Arteta simply refused to answer two questions about David Raya after tonight match.
Mikel Arteta just refused to answer two questions regarding David Raya after Arsenal’s keeper had another bad night against Luton Town.
Raya was beaten to a routine corner by Elijah Adebayo, who calmly headed into an empty net as the Gunners led 2-1. And things got even worse for the Gunners keeper when he let a poor effort from Ross Barkley go underneath him only eight minutes later, giving Luton a 3-2 lead.
His blunders followed a run of underwhelming performances since he surpassed Aaron Ramsdale as the Gunners’ first-choice shot-stopper. Arteta, on the other hand, stuck by his man after the game, preferring to focus on the positives of his team’s 4-3 victory, which put them five points clear at the top of the Premier League standings.
When asked about his team’s three goals, Arteta told Prime Video, “It happens.” Credit to them as well; opponents plan things against us, the delivery was fantastic, the finishing was excellent, and there are times when we simply need to praise the opponent. And they deserve it since they are a very difficult team to beat. Congratulations to them; it was a difficult night.”
Mikel Arteta simply refused to answer two questions about David Raya after tonight match.
When asked about the current emphasis on the goalkeeping position, Arteta stated, “I was so happy with the team.” In response to a question on Raya’s performance, he stated, “I spoke with all of them and they’re all jumping, they’re so happy, so I’m a really happy manager today.”
Arteta has stated this season that he does not have a first-choice keeper, but he has consistently preferred Raya over Ramsdale in the Premier League since joining on loan from Brentford. Despite Declan Rice’s 96th-minute goal, the Spaniard’s errors against Luton add to the pressure on the Arsenal manager.
Raya was beaten far too easily in the air by Adebayo, allowing Barkley’s shot to slip under him. He was fortunate that Kai Havertz was on hand to equalize at 3-3 before Rice headed in Martin Odegaard’s cross to give Arsenal a five-point advantage over Liverpool, who face bottom club Sheffield United on Wednesday.
