Max Dowman and Mikel Merino react to David Raya’s message after Arsenal development
David Raya’s latest clean sheet for Arsenal came on a special occasion in their win over Nottingham Forest at the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta‘s side bounced back from their 1-0 loss to Liverpool before the international break to rack up a second convincing home win in a row, dispatching Nottingham Forest 3-0 with a clinical display.
Martin Zubimendi announced himself at the Emirates with the first brace of his career, the first of which was a sumptuous volley from the edge of the box to open his account for the Gunners in some style.
Viktor Gyokeres scored his third goal in four matches since joining Arsenal in the summer and Eberechi Eze also managed an assist on his first start, as Arteta’s side hit their straps to return to winning ways.
Eze, Gyokeres and Noni Madueke all impressed as part of Arsenal‘s new-look front three, with Zubimendi anchoring the midfield and Cristhian Mosquera starting in a back four which was given very little to do.
David Raya celebrates 100th Arsenal match with clean sheet
Raya was a bystander for most of Arsenal’s victory on Saturday and was only called into action by Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White‘s half-chances, keeping a clean sheet on his 100th Arsenal appearance.
The Spain goalkeeper was central to Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Manchester United in their Premier League opener, and the only goal he has conceded this season was Dominik Szoboszlai‘s free-kick at Anfield.
After his 42nd clean sheet for Arsenal, Raya posted on Instagram on Sunday with the message of: “100 games for the Arsenal with a Win and a clean sheet. Thank you for all the support since the first day”.
A number of team-mates like Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhaes and Max Dowman left ‘love heart’ emojis in support of Raya, while his Spanish compatriot Mikel Merino also commented to say: “Congratulations!!!”
Arsenal already a Premier League threat as new signings click
Football Insider Verdict
Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League table was short-lived after Liverpool‘s win over Burnley on Sunday maintained their 100 per cent record, but Arteta will have plenty of positives to look back on.
Arteta and Andrea Berta’s transfer business was hailed as ‘perfection’ after Zubimendi, Gyokeres and Eze’s goal contributions against Nottingham Forest, with Madueke also a constant threat on the right.
Depth behind the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard was Arsenal’s undoing last season, but Eze and Madueke in particular have already shown they can be the players who will take the Gunners to the next level.