Paul Merson says Arsenal star did something that was ‘off the charts’ vs Brighton and he’s spot on

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal made it hard for themselves as they beat Brighton 2-1.

The Gunners should’ve run away with the game in the first half. They had 15 shots at goal before the break but only managed to score once through Martin Odegaard.

Georginio Rutter’s own goal doubled Arsenal’s lead in the second half, and that should have been the end of it. But Arsenal conceded a sloppy goal, and Brighton began to throw the kitchen sink at the hosts.

Yankuba Minteh came the closest to levelling the game, but David Raya pulled off an unreal save to keep his side ahead.

Paul Merson says David Raya’s save during Arsenal vs Brighton was ‘off the charts’

Many Arsenal players impressed against Brighton, but Raya is the reason why the Gunners won the game.

The Spain international didn’t have much to do on Saturday. Brighton didn’t even get close to scoring in the first half, and it was only after their goal that they began to threaten.

Raya will be disappointed that he conceded a goal, but he more than made up for it with a stunning save later in the game.

Minteh got himself on the end of the ball inside the box and unleashed a curling shot with his stronger left foot. It was destined to be a goal.

However, Raya jumped to his right in full stretch and tipped the ball over the bar. That kept Mikel Arteta’s side in the game and helped them pick up all three points.

Speaking about the save, Paul Merson said on Sky Sports: “If Arsenal go on and win the title, we will have to go back to the Raya save. 

“It was off the charts. Nine times out of ten, that’s a goal. That’s massive for me. A massive, massive save.”

Merson is right, if the Premier League ended today and Arsenal finished two points above Manchester City to win the title, Raya’s save would be the reason why.

David Raya is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League

Liverpool star Alisson Becker has held the title of being the best goalkeeper in the Premier League for a few years now, while Manchester City’s summer signing Gianluigi Donnarumma will feel he is up there as well.

The two shot stoppers are both fantastic, but based on current form in every goalkeeping metric, the duo must step aside and make way for Raya.

The Arsenal number one is fantastic on the ball, has the vision to pull off incredible passes and is, at times, the starter of Arsenal’s attacks.

To add to that, Raya is an unbelievable shot-stopper, and his ability to claim the ball from set-pieces and crosses into the box despite not being the tallest is just sensational.

We are convinced that Raya is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League right now, and he will only get better in the coming months.