Wayne Rooney has been full of praise for David Raya’s save against Brighton and Hove Albion, which proved key in Arsenal’s 2-1 win.
Martin Odegaard’s first-half strike and a Georginio Rutter own goal proved to be enough to get Mikel Arteta’s team over the line against the Seagulls.
Who was your Arsenal Man of the Match after 2-1 win against Brighton?
The Gunners moved back to the top of the Premier League, but are just two points ahead of Manchester City and three ahead of Aston Villa.
But that might not have been the case without the goal-kicking heroics of Raya, and Rooney has been speaking about the Spaniard’s save.
Wayne Rooney hails David Raya’s save against Brighton
Wayne Rooney believes that David Raya has already produced several Premier League title-winning moments for Arsenal this season, and his save against Brighton was another.
In the 76th minute, the 30-year-old pulled off an extraordinary save to deny Yankuba Minteh, as he somehow managed to reach the winger’s effort, which looked destined for the top corner.
When asked about the save, Rooney told BBC Match of the Day: “In all fairness, it was an absolutely incredible save! The speed he has to get across the goal.
“It’s moments like that which win you league titles, and David Raya has many of those moments throughout the season.”
Change my mind, David Raya is the best Arsenal goalkeeper of the Emirates era.
Following the win, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler called Raya one of the world’s best goalkeepers, and it was easy to see why.
Meanwhile, Ian Wright claims Raya won Arsenal the game against Brighton, with his save proving to be the outstanding moment of the match.
Andrea Berta has been looking at long-term Raya replacements; however, the Spanish international proved why he remains Arsenal’s number one option.
Alan Shearer on David Raya saving Arsenal against Brighton
Alan Shearer was also in awe of Raya’s save, but the former Premier League striker highlighted how the Gunners made such hard work of beating Brighton.
It was one-way traffic for the North London club in the first half; however, it was a different story in the second 45 minutes, with Brighton coming close to making it 2-2.
“Wow! That’s all you can say! You can see Hurzeler and his reaction on the touchline. Unbelievable save, it really is magnificent,” said the Newcastle United legend.
“So what could have been an easier afternoon, if Arsenal had kept up how they played in the first half, it turned into a really difficult afternoon.”
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