“I’ve given him back the Man of the Match trophy because he was more deserving of it than I was. Despite being a substitute, he accomplished something that others couldn’t: David Raya was taken aback by his Arsenal teammate’s performance against Manchester City today.
In the most terrible of circumstances, Arsenal was held to a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland broke through the defense to poke past David Raya, giving the Gunners, who were down, a terrible start to the match. After that, Ilkay Gundogan’s free shot struck the post, making it appear as though Arsenal would have a difficult afternoon.
They started to settle in, though, and Riccardo Calafiori’s incredible strike from the edge of the box to tie the score came after he quickly won a free kick. Gabriel then sprang highest to score for the second straight game off a Bukayo Saka corner as the first half neared stoppage time.
Although it seemed like Arsenal had the upper hand, Leandro Trossard was given a second yellow card for kicking the ball away with a few seconds left in the half. That set up a nearly full-on assault versus defense second half.
David Raya: When called upon, he stops shots impressively. Especially from Haaland’s second half, he made an outstanding stop. There was also deliberate time wastage in the latter part. 8.
Jurrien Timber: For most of the first half, he kept Doku silent. Despite being a true threat in the first period, the Brazilian received little joy when Savinho shifted to his side in the second. 8.
William Saliba: Not truly to fault for the objective. shown moments of incredible poise. Excellent box defense throughout the duration of the second half. 7.
Gabriel: Started off nervous. Was stuck between marking Haaland and Silva for the goal, but did not take any action. grew to love it, though. One more outstanding contribution from a corner. He played great defense in the second half. 8.
Riccardo Calafiori: Let’s begin with his excellent goal. However, aside from that, the Italian was not always believable. caught on for the goal and occasionally had a propensity to dive in. 6. Not quite as strong as the remaining four players.
Thomas Partey: Easily pulled out of position, he was a little off for the goal. Following that, he bounced back to have a fantastic game. shown remarkable poise on the few times Arsenal had the ball and played a brilliant defensive game in the second half while on a yellow card. 7.
Declan Rice: He played a good 4-4-2 defense while assuming a new position on the right side of central midfield. worked himself to exhaustion. 7.
Bukayo Saka: Getting the captain’s armband in such a significant game should have been a major day for him. was regrettably sacrificed at halftime instead. His corner delivery was excellent when he was on the field, though. 7.
Gabriel Martinelli: As usual, he worked himself into the ground off the ball. He had the corresponding quality on the ball this time. Some excellent dribble and delivery down the left side. 8.
Leandro Trossard: The game was altered by his severe second yellow. The Belgian had been largely quiet up until then and had let pass a good opportunity that Martinelli had set up for him. 6.
Kai Havertz: Put in a ton of effort for his group. Outstanding double-up to support Timber in the large areas. In the opening seconds, set the tone for Arsenal’s combative display by crashing into Rodri. 8.
SUBSTITUTES:
Ben White: After coming off the bench around halftime, he displayed exceptional skills despite reportedly having a problem prior to the game. defended his box with great attention and determination. 8.
