Paul Merson and Danny Murphy now in total agreement about Arsenal star who’s ‘one of the best’

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Declan Rice was Arsenal’s match-winner against Newcastle United, but he wasn’t the man of the match.

For the 19th time this season, Rice contributed to a goal, showcasing his ability in the final third.

In the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Newcastle, the England international showed why he’s the only Arsenal player nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season award.

While Rice’s Player of the Season form has saved Arsenal many times, the former West Ham captain wasn’t actually Mikel Arteta’s sole saviour against Newcastle.

• READ MORE: Arsenal fans are all making the same Alexander Isak comment as Gunners transfer target misses Newcastle clash

Paul Merson and Danny Murphy left in awe of David Raya 

Eddie Howe was blown away by David Raya at the Emirates, lauding how impactful the Spaniard was between the posts.

The Arsenal goalkeeper was the subject of a lot of praise, and for good reason, as if it wasn’t for Raya, the Gunners would’ve undoubtedly lost to Newcastle.

Such was echoed by Arsenal icon Paul Merson amid the action in N5, as on Sky Sports, the pundit credited ‘phenomenal’ Raya for keeping the score level in the first half.

“Phenomenal save, it’s an amazing save and the way he gets up, I think when you get defenders who read the game and forwards who see pictures, he sees things.

“He knows with the Bruno one, he knows he’s going that way. He knows he’s coming to glance that and he goes quickly. He doesn’t stand there and react after, so yeah, phenomenal saves. Lucky he’s playing today, or this game would be over.”

When praising Raya, Merson highlighted the 29-year-old’s ability to react quickly, and he wasn’t the only pundit to do so.

Analysing the game on BBC Match of the Day 2 was Danny Murphy, who dubbed Raya as ‘one of the best’ when it comes to pulling off double saves. 

“He seems to be one of the best at double saves, he’s so agile and quick to react.”

Both pundits were keen to draw attention to how proactive Raya has been throughout the season for Arsenal, having pulled off a series of remarkable saves.

David Raya redeemed himself against Newcastle

Though Gary Neville wasted no time naming the goalkeeper as the Premier League man of the match, that didn’t exempt him from criticism.

Arsenal fans fumed at Raya against Newcastle, reacting to the Spain international’s complacency when playing the ball out from the back.

While supporters’ concerns were valid, as Raya committed three errors leading to shots, the positives certainly outweighed the negatives.

It was a complete goalkeeping performance from Arsenal’s Euro 2024 winner, as the numbers show, strengthening his claim to being named one of the best keepers in the league. 

Both Merson and Murphy were left spellbound by Raya’s ability after the Newcastle win, in what was a performance for the 29-year-old to savour.