Martin Odegaard scored his first goal of the season to help Arsenal beat Brighton and regain their place at the top of the Premier League – but it was their goalkeeper who produced the moment of the match.
With the Gunners holding on to a slender 2-1 lead in the final 15 minutes at a nervy Emirates Stadium, Brighton substitute Yankuba Minteh’s brilliant curling strike from the edge of the box looked destined for the top corner.
Step forward David Raya.
The Spain international somehow produced an incredible piece of athleticism to tip the ball over the bar and prevent Brighton from coming two goals down to level.
“It was sensational,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports. “I had a great angle on it.
“That’s what we need from players, we need those performances in the key moments.”
Former England captain Alan Shearer, working as a pundit for Match of the Day, described the save as “one of the best you’ll see all season”.
“You see all the Arsenal players would have gone straight to Raya to thank him for it because it was a big save at such an important stage of the game,” ex-Republic of Ireland midfielder Andy Reid added on BBC Radio 5 Live.
