David Raya has been placed under the microscope by Arsenal fans after the Gunners’ draw against Sunderland.
Already boasting seven clean sheets, Raya would’ve walked into the Stadium of Light confident that he wouldn’t be beaten.
What the Spaniard perhaps wouldn’t have expected was to be beaten twice, as Dan Ballard ended Arsenal’s magnificent run of clean sheets in the first half.
Ballard’s incredible performance against Arsenal was one blow, with the other coming in the 94th minute as Brian Brobbey beat Raya to score Sunderland’s equaliser.
Though Raya is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, fans couldn’t help but share their dissatisfaction with the 30-year-old’s actions when Brobbey made the North East erupt.
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Arsenal fans were furious with David Raya during Sunderland’s equalising goal
Brobbey converted an acrobatic strike to level the scoring and ultimately deny Arsenal three points.
The Dutchman’s finish was superb, but from an Arsenal point of view, fans are wondering whether Raya could’ve done better.
As seen above, the passage of play saw a costly mix-up between Gabriel Magalhaes and Raya, which prompted fans to question why the goalkeeper decided to run out.
“All on Raya. Trust the best CB in the world to put off the striker & stay on your line!”
Another supporter agreed that Raya was responsible for the equaliser being scored.
“I honestly don’t think Raya should be anywhere near that! Good game today, but this decision cost us!”
One fan described the Spain international’s actions as ‘absolutely dreadful’, which was an opinion shared by plenty of other Arsenal lovers on X.
“I love David Raya but this is absolutely dreadful. He has no need to come for this. But if you’re going to come for it then at least get your hands up. It’s almost like he doesn’t see Brobbey is there. But it’s a howler that cost us 3 points.”
“Raya definitely misplayed this one. He was never going to cradle catch it no matter what happened in front of him. Needed to stay back or double punch through. IMO.”
“The more I see this, the worse it looks. This was an awful decision from Raya.”
The primary complaint from supporters was that Raya decided to run out but didn’t do anything else, allowing Brobbey to get a foot in ahead of both him and Gabriel.
“Why did Raya just come out and do nothing?” A frustrated fan asked.
Another replied to the post by saying, “Same question I asked, he should have just remained on the post, Gabriel was marking the guy.”
Others couldn’t understand why Raya didn’t make contact with the ball, as in that moment, the goalkeeper looked as though he was aiming to catch the ball in a cradle-like fashion.
“He should be punching the ball there and not claiming it.”
“If you’re coming out, you have to touch the ball. He cost us that second goal.”
David Seaman didn’t agree with Raya’s decision against Sunderland
Arsenal fans far and wide were not happy with Raya’s costly decision, but what did a figure who has walked the goalkeeper’s walk think?
Fortunately, a verdict was possible, as on Premier League productions, David Seaman gave his opinion on the Spaniard’s mishap, agreeing that it was just that: a mishap.
“Whether Raya should come, I’d question that. And the way he comes for the ball, he tries to catch it, is he aware of the guy getting close?” Seaman asked.
“It’s a great finish by Brobbey, but I would just question the decision of Raya, whether he should come and try to punch it, rather than try to catch it.”
It’s still unclear what Raya was plotting to do, but it didn’t work out, and after conceding for the first time in eight games, there’s a chance that the 30-year-old would’ve lost sleep over the contest.
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