‘Absolutely wonderful’ – Ally McCoist couldn’t believe what Arsenal star did against Olympiacos
Ally McCoist was left in shock after one moment during Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Olympiacos.
Arsenal were looking to avoid a third straight home defeat to Olympiacos, with the Greek side frequent visitors to north London in the past decade.
The Gunners got off to the perfect start in the contest thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s close-range finish.
Martinelli made Champions League history on matchday one when he scored in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.
David Raya stuns Ally McCoist
Despite Arsenal’s dominant start to the match, the Gunners required a moment of brilliance from goalkeeper David Raya.
Raya tipped a volley from Daniel Podence over the crossbar, and speaking on TNT Sports [1 October], McCoist was in shock at how the Spaniard made the save.
“It was a brilliant move, a fantastic move from start to finish, ball come across and it is an absolutely wonderful save,” McCoist said.
“How he gets that left arm up and pushes it over the bar is something else.
“But its amazing, Arsenal have totally dominated the game, but the small little bits of possession that Olympiacos have had you can see they look lively and a couple of them want the ball.”
That was one of only two saves Raya had to make during the first half, but it meant the Gunners kept their lead intact at the interval.
Another piece of David Raya brilliance
The 30-year-old has quite the collection of fine reflex saves, with his latest one to deny Podence another moment where the goalkeeper has rescued Arsenal.
Raya stunned against Man United on the opening matchday of the Premier League season and has four clean sheets in seven matches.
| Matches | 6 |
| Clean Sheets | 3 |
| Saves | 15 |
| Save Percentage | 83.3% |
| Errors leading to goals | 0 |
For all of Arsenal’s strength in depth and increased attacking options, the form of Raya in goal will be crucial to get the Gunners over the line in tight contests.