Mikel Arteta reveals how his goalkeeper’s defining one-on-one save and composure under pressure provided the platform for Leandro Trossard to snatch a dramatic victory at West Ham.
Mikel Arteta said David Raya delivered another “story of the season” moment after the Arsenal goalkeeper made a crucial one-on-one save in the 1-0 Premier League win over West Ham.
Arsenal eventually secured victory through Leandro Trossard’s late goal, but the match was still goalless when Raya produced one of the defining interventions of the afternoon. West Ham had grown into the contest after Arsenal’s early pressure and Ben White’s first-half injury, leaving Arteta’s side needing their goalkeeper to keep them level before they found a winner at the other end.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta highlighted Raya’s save at 0-0 as one of the key moments in a tense London Stadium win.
“One is David, that save with 0-0, one against one, which is the story of the season again,” Arteta said.
The save came at a point when Arsenal were under pressure, and West Ham sensed an opportunity. Arteta’s side had started brightly, creating several chances before the game became more disrupted after White went off injured. West Ham then posed a greater threat in transition and forced Arsenal to defend deeper than they had in the opening stages.
Raya’s intervention ensured Arsenal stayed in the game long enough for Trossard to decide it late on. For Arteta, it was another example of the goalkeeper’s value in narrow matches, where one moment can shift the direction of a result.
Raya’s intervention was put to Arteta afterwards as one of Arsenal’s “magic moments”, with the goalkeeper producing it when his side needed it most.
“When you talk about magic moments, this is certainly one of the most needed moments as well to pull off with that save, it was incredible,” Arteta was told in his post-match press conference.
Arteta replied: “I don’t know. He made a few to be fair, but yeah, that tells you how good it’s been.”
Raya’s role became even more central during stoppage time, when West Ham thought they had equalised through Callum Wilson. The ball dropped to the striker after Raya came under pressure from Pablo, but the goal was eventually ruled out following a lengthy VAR review for a foul on the Arsenal goalkeeper.
That decision preserved Arsenal’s clean sheet and ensured Trossard’s goal remained the winner. It also added to the sense that Raya had been at the centre of the decisive moments, both through his own goalkeeping and the late incident that brought the match to a dramatic close.
The three points were essential in the title race, but the performance again showed why Raya has become such an important figure for Arteta. On a day when Arsenal’s control dipped and West Ham threatened to punish them, his timing, concentration and shot-stopping helped turn a difficult away game into a vital win.
Arsenal now move on to Burnley with momentum intact, but Arteta will know the margin at West Ham was fine. Raya’s save at 0-0 gave his side the platform to recover, and in a title race shaped by small details, that moment may prove just as important as the goal that followed.