Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal: Raya wonder save earns Gunners a point

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya secured his side a hard-earned point with a sensational double save from a penalty as they drew 0-0 at Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday.

Spaniard Raya dived low to his right to beat away Mateo Retegui’s spot-kick in the 51st minute then sprang across his goal to claw away the forward’s follow-up header.

That was the most dramatic moment of an otherwise tepid affair in Bergamo, as Mikel Arteta’s team produced a gritty away performance against the Europa League holders.

The closest Arsenal came to scoring was a first-half free-kick by Bukayo Saka that was saved well by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, while Gabriel Martinelli blasted over the crossbar to cap a rare Gunners attack after the break.

La Dea, meanwhile, went close to taking all three points when Juan Cuadrado sent a curling effort narrowly wide of the far corner with 67 minutes on the clock.

Arsenal’s next Champions League fixture is a heavyweight clash with Paris Saint-Germain on October 1, while Atalanta go to Shakhtar Donetsk the following day.

FT: Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal

Atalanta’s prior 23 UEFA Champions League matches saw 3.6 goals per game (40 for, 43 against), the second-most of any team to feature 20+ times in the competition…

There was no such goal feast tonight with David Raya coming to Arsenal’s rescue. pic.twitter.com/zlqkfgz9G0

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) September 19, 2024

Data Debrief: Raya heroics key for Arsenal

In a game where Arsenal struggled going forwards, only generating six attempts at goal worth 0.79 expected goals (xG), the Gunners needed Raya to come up trumps.

He became just the fourth Arsenal goalkeeper to save a penalty in the Champions League, after Richard Wright, Jens Lehmann and Lukasz Fabianski (twice).

Including shoot-outs, he has now kept out four of the last eight penalties he has faced in all competitions, having conceded each of the previous 19 he faced.