Football Today
·6 December 2023
‘The Devil’s advocate’: Thierry Henry supports Arsenal star, says 25-year-old was not better

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·6 December 2023
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry spoke in support of goalkeeper David Raya following the club’s late 4-3 win over Luton Town in the Premier League last night.
The Gunners picked up a sixth-straight win in all competitions at Kenilworth Road. They had to dig deep for the victory with the hosts scoring three goals in the game.
The north London giants eventually claimed a 4-3 victory. Declan Rice scored the winner in the final seconds of the game with a leaping header from a Martin Odegaard cross.
The victory moved the Gunners five points clear at the top of the table but there is much to debate after another inconsistent showing from Raya between the sticks.
The Spaniard’s poor handling from a corner saw Luton equalise in the second half. A few minutes later, his poor shot-stopping allowed Ross Barkley to put the Hatters into the lead.
His blushes were saved after goals from Havertz and Rice, but questions are bound to be raised over his starting spot ahead of the weekend’s game at Aston Villa.
When questioned about Raya on Amazon Prime, Henry supported the goalkeeper.
He said (via BBC Sport): “I’m going to play the Devil’s advocate. In the Brentford game, (Aaron) Ramsdale made two mistakes and didn’t get punished.”
Ramsdale was the undisputed starter in the Premier League for the Gunners for two seasons before he was displaced by Raya in September this year.
Raya has since produced a mixed bag of performances. The Spaniard has been error-prone on multiple occasions, and he could have easily cost Arsenal the game last night.
The Gunners got out of jail after a dramatic late winner. Manager Mikel Arteta refused to speak about Raya after the game, but questions will be asked going forward.
Ramsdale was no better at Brentford. Rice and Oleksandr Zinchenko made goalline clearances to help the 25-year-old during the London derby.
Arsenal travel to Aston Villa for Saturday’s game. Raya could start again in goal, but Arteta may surprise everyone by giving Ramsdale the nod instead.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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