Gary Neville wasn’t impressed (Image: Sky Sports)
The Premier League heavyweights Manchester City and Arsenal drew 0-0 on Sunday, leaving the title race this season wide open. Arsenal was unable to defeat City.
David Raya was criticized by Gary Neville for his “awful” kicking against Manchester City, highlighting the goalkeeper’s difficulty staying upright.
The dull 0-0 draw on Sunday saw Raya, 28, keep a clean sheet with just one save required thanks to a combination of City’s brash attack and Arsenal’s tenacious defense. However, after a few tense moments from the Spaniard, Neville was not overly impressed with having the ball at his feet.
The Manchester United legend lamented on Sky Sports commentary during the first half of what was billed as a possible title decider: “Raya’s kicking has been terrible.” The fact that he keeps tripping over while kicking it isn’t helping.”
Throughout the intense game, Raya was also criticized by the crowd for seeming to waste time. Referee Anthony Taylor gave the 28-year-old, who is currently on loan from Brentford and is expected to sign a permanent deal for £30 million this summer, a yellow card in the 79th minute for taking too long to attempt a goal kick.
The home crowd was “very unhappy” with Raya, according to Neville’s former United teammate Peter Schmeichel, who added during the deadlock on BBC Radio 5 Live, adding, “They think he’s wasting time.”
Despite the fact that he maintained his second clean sheet of the season against the defending champions, City, the Spain international will be happy with his performance. With his tenth shutout of the season, he also became the first goalkeeper from the opposition to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League against City at the Etihad Stadium since Vicente Guaita of Crystal Palace did so in October 2021.
Despite Mikel Arteta’s team’s inability to win all three points, Palace won 2-0, and the Gunners manager was satisfied. “It was an extremely difficult, extremely tight game against an amazing team,” Arteta told club media. “The boys competed really, really well, in my opinion. When it came to being disciplined and patient, we really were.
“The upside was that we had some big chances, some big situations that we didn’t convert and the fact that we lacked a little bit of composure, especially with the ball in the first phase to play more, to have more, to be more courageous to play but credit to them because they make your life difficult.”
“That’s the feeling I get every day in the dressing room,” the manager of Arsenal responded when asked if his players thought they could have won the match. It’s unbelievable. You know, we’ve kept this team from scoring at home for the first time in three years. And that indicates the level of difficulty.
“However, they desire more. Furthermore, each of us was capable of doing more. Together, we were capable of more. That’s encouraging to see. We are moving in the right direction, so let’s keep up the good work and keep getting better.
