Neville, Carragher clash as Arteta blamed for Ramsdale blunder in Arsenal win | OneFootball

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have clashed over Mikel Arteta's treatment of Aaron Ramsdale.

Gary Neville has blamed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for putting both David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale “under pressure”, but Jamie Carragher dismissed that claim as nonsense.

Raya was brought in by Arteta in the summer, with the Gunners boss initially claiming he would rotate the Spaniard with Ramsdale this season.

But it’s become clear that Raya is the clear No.1 at the Emirates this season, starting every Premier League game since coming into the team against Everton in September, before he was ruled out for their trip to Brentford, his parent club.

Ramsdale did not make the most of his chance to impress, gifting Brentford a fantastic chance with a slip in the opening stages, before being taunted by the home fans, who chanted “You’re just a s**t David Raya” at him throughout the game.

After the England international’s blunder, Neville took to X and blamed Arteta for the “pressure” he’s put on his goalkeepers.

‘This is what happens when you have 2 keepers eating each other! You put them both under pressure,’ Neville wrote.

Carragher was having none of it though, insisting “there is no battle to be number one” at Arsenal.

‘Arteta has created this pressure on his keepers narrative is nonsense!!!!! Arteta should improve on his goalkeeper if he feels it’s right, is he supposed to sell the other one the same day. He did it with Ramsdale/Leno. There is no battle to be number one, Raya is the number one,’ Carragher wrote.

Arteta leapt to his goalkeeper’s defence after tha game, claiming Ramsdale showed “big courage” to compose himself after his first-half blunder.

“Courage. He has big courage and big personality and that’s what we need,” Arteta told reporters.

“This is football. I’m so happy with the team. The way the team performed with the clean sheet. We move on.”

Arsenal went top of the table with the win after Manchester City and Liverpool drew 1-1 at the Etihad earlier in the day.

Arteta added: “I love winning and we are top of the table and this is where we have to want to be. For me as well it was a special day — 200 games and I want to say thank you so much to everybody that makes my job so enjoyable,” the Spaniard said.

“Winter has started, it was very cold and it is difficult coming to Brentford and I loved the way the team competed, how we played.”