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Troy Deeney suggests ‘unbelievable’ player was the reason why Arsenal beat Aston Villa
Arsenal picked up a really important win against Aston Villa in their second game of the season.
Mikel Arteta hasn’t always had the luck he has wanted against Unai Emery. The latter beat the Gunners twice in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season, and that would’ve surely been on the minds of the players on Saturday.
Aston Villa had some great chances to win the game. Ollie Watkins could’ve and probably should’ve scored twice, but he didn’t.
Arsenal then took advantage of Villa’s misses and scored two goals of their own thanks to Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey.
Troy Deeney, on , has now named who Arsenal’s game-changer was.
Troy Deeney says David Raya is the reason why Arsenal won against Aston Villa
David Raya has been the talk of the town for his recent performances at Arsenal.
The Spaniard replaced Aaron Ramsdale, played fewer games than most other goalkeepers in the Premier League and still managed to keep the most clean sheets.
Against Wolves in the opening game of this campaign, Raya pulled off a brilliant save that shocked Gary O’Neil – he couldn’t believe it!
Then, when Arsenal faced Aston Villa, Raya was called into action again, and the talented Spaniard kept Ollie Watkins’ header out almost miraculously.
Raya has been earning a ton of praise since. Deeney has included him in his Team of the Week and claimed that he was the one who changed the game in Arsenal’s favour.
He said: “He made some unbelievable saves.
“The rebound save from Ollie Watkins, after Aston Villa hit the bar, changed the game in Arsenal’s favour.”
READ MORE: Leandro Trossard delivers verdict on David Raya’s save for Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Raya should aim to break Premier League record
Arsenal had the best defence in the entire Premier League in the 2023/24 season. The Gunners conceded just 29 goals in 38 games, which is a truly incredible record.
This season, the North Londoners are even stronger thanks to the arrival of Riccardo Calafiori and the availability of Jurrien Timber at the back.
There is no reason why Arsenal, who have kept clean sheets in each of their first two games, can better their record from last season.
In fact, if things go to plan, we think they can even break the all-time Premier League record for least goals conceded in a single campaign.
That record is currently held by Chelsea, who let in just 15 goals in the 2004/05 season under Jose Mourinho.