Mikel Arteta has backed his Spanish goalkeeper after he was criticised in the first half for looking like a ‘nervous wreck’ by Gary Neville.
The Gunners have finally put an end to their abysmal losing streak against Manchester City, beating the reigning champions for the first time in eight years.
It didn’t come easy as Pep Guardiola’s team came out of the blocks flying, Nathan Ake had a glorious opportunity within the first five minutes but saw his shot fly over the crossbar.
Arsenal looked nervous and this was exemplified by David Raya who made a string of errors which almost handed City the lead.
Speaking on commentary, Neville highlighted this throughout.
“I can spot a keeper a mile off that’s a nervous wreck and there’s one right in front of you. The mistake in midweek he’s carried into this game, he’s not sharp enough and he’s very lucky.” he said on the Sky Sports broadcast.
When asked about Raya’s performance after the game, Arteta backed his current number one.
“[City] give you a lot [of problems] and we gave them a lot of issues as well,” Arteta said via the Mirror.
“It is not easy to get out. You need the right timing, the right movement, the right moments. I like the courage.
“You are going to have these [hard] moments against this team. You have to be direct and managed the emotions and make sure you don’t get caught against this team.”