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David Raya is still demonstrating why Mikel Arteta signed him on loan from Brentford during the last campaign. In the UEFA Champions League, Atalanta was kept scoreless by a fantastic double save. After Thomas Partey handed away a penalty shortly into the second half against Atalanta, Arsenal custodian David Raya made an incredible double save.
After an odd first half, Arsenal emerged from their tunnel for the second half hoping for a good start. Éderson was awarded a penalty early on by Thomas Partey, which gave the home team a great opportunity to take the lead. Mateo Retegui of Atalanta took the penalty after a protracted VAR review verified it.
David Raya was slanting to the right before the shot was attempted, and he made the perfect judgement as Retegui's initial attempt was saved. His initial save was forced back into Retegui's path, so the danger wasn't ended yet. The striker for Atalanta then headed a shot towards goal, but Raya palmed it off the line.
🚨🚨| David Raya makes a INCREDIBLE double save to deny Mateo Retegui from the penalty spot!!
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) September 19, 2024
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Last season, Mikel Arteta made waves when he loaned Raya from Brentford to take Aaron Ramsdale's spot, a fan favourite. Even though Raya's time at Arsenal wasn't the best at first, he won over Gunners supporters with his heroics during the Champions League last-16 penalty shootout versus Porto. This previous summer, Raya signed a permanent contract and back-up goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was sold to Southampton.
David Raya - the hero for Arsenal in UEFA Champions League
In just four Premier League games this season, Raya has already shown incredible form, keeping three clean sheets. He has now confirmed his status as the Gunners' first-choice custodian once more. Raya has played only ten UEFA Champions League games, including Thursday's matchup with Atalanta and he has only managed four clean sheets.
He participated in the competition's penalty shootout and made two saves to help his team defeat Porto. This weekend, Arsenal will play their first domestic matchup versus Manchester City. There, Raya hopes to deliver an equally epic performance.