Football
Incredible David Raya Double Save Spares Arsenal’s Blushes In Goalless Draw vs Atalanta
Olly Taliku has worked with highly respected sports and gambling websites where he has produced hundreds of articles, as well as being published with Burton Albion and Chesterfield FC. At Burton Olly worked closely alongside the women's team, producing mainly matchday content including reports and interviews, while at Chesterfield he worked in a similar role but with the academy side, as well as some first team content. He also has experience as an accredited Premier League and EFL writer for Prost International where he worked during the 2021/22 season to produce matchday content as an on location reporter. Olly specialises in football as well as long form SEO content plus news, tips and betting but also produces content on basketball, baseball and American football.
Get to know Oliver Taliku betterPublished3 hours ago on September 19, 2024
Arsenal’s blushes were saved by David Raya on Thursday night, as the Spaniard pulled off a remarkable double save to earn the Gunners a point in their opening Champions League match against Atalanta.
The visitors came out of the blocks sharper than their Italian opponents and they looked dominant during the early stages without being able to craft any clear cut chances.
Bukayo Saka had a wicked free kick saved in the opening exchanges but his low strike was unable to break the deadlock, with Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi getting down well to push the shot wide.
After Saka’s close call there wasn’t too many opportunities in the half, with Atalanta growing into the game and controlling more possession for the remainder of the first period.
It is safe to say there wasn’t any guilt edged chances in the first half for either team, which left the match up for grabs as the players returned to the pitch after the break.
The hosts were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead just minutes into the second half, as Thomas Partey pulled down Brazilian midfielder Ederson who slipped his way behind the defence and into the box.
After a lengthy VAR check the penalty was given, but Atalanta weren’t able to take advantage of the opportunity with David Raya making a sensational double save to keep the score level.
DAVID RAYA, TAKE A BOW!
One of the best double saves you'll ever see 🤯
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/sPgZF293QI
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 19, 2024
Despite missing out on taking the lead, Atalanta looked a lot more put together than their opponents in the remainder of the game and if anything the Serie A outfit looked more likely to score.
Arsenal struggled to create more than one real chance throughout the game and the absence of an injured Martin Odegaard was felt more than ever before in a bleak 0-0 for Mikel Arteta’s men.
WATCH: Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal Champions League Highlights
Arsenal won’t have long to recover after the midweek fixture tonight, with a huge clash coming up on Sunday against the Premier League champions and title rivals Manchester City.