A player who plays very well but maybe few people pay attention to me is David Raya…

From directing the defense, mastering the penalty area, saving, playing with his feet, passing the ball to escaping to block the opponent’s attack. The match where all of Raya’s strongest points were brought into play.

Compared to the performance considered a “nightmare” at Stamford Bridge last year, this is a complete transformation. David Raya is still himself, still playing the same way but this time everything is precise at a high level.

In the situation of Mykhaylo Mudryk’s empty run, the viewer seemed to wonder if Raya should come out or not when he was at a disadvantage in speed. But Raya came out and cut the ball without any hesitation.

Raya proves match after match why Mikel Arteta went against the flow of public opinion to bring him back. A goalkeeper with high skills but not receiving the attention he deserves for what he shows.

Arsenal deserved to win against Chelsea

“I think we deserved more,” said David Raya after Arsenal’s draw with Chelsea. “I think the team showed really impressive character, especially early on. We created chances, had a goal disallowed and then scored. So I think Arsenal deserved more. We were positive, we were always pushing forward and the team showed resilience.”

“Even when we were level, we didn’t back down and kept looking for goals. We tried our best to score, create chances and make things difficult for the opponents. That’s the character of the players,” added the Spanish goalkeeper.

 David Raya regrets Arsenal’s draw with Chelsea

Meanwhile, coach Mikel Arteta also could not hide his regret after losing to Chelsea. He expressed: “ I think we had a good match. Arsenal started well, created chances but we were very unlucky. We missed some clear chances. We dominated one of the strongest teams in Europe but did not get the result of 3 points. That is what was missing.”

In the big match against Chelsea, Arsenal welcomed back captain Martin Ødegaard after two months out due to injury. Despite limited training and playing time, Ødegaard was still trusted to start and played the full 90 minutes, contributing an assist. David stressed the importance of the Norwegian midfielder to Arsenal. He said:

“We know how important Martin is to the team. Not just on the pitch but off it too. Martin gives us a special advantage. He is a great captain and we look up to him. Martin is an important player and we are glad he is back.”

With this 1-1 draw, Chelsea rose to 3rd place, while Arsenal is 9 points behind the leader Liverpool.