Neville backtracks on Raya and 'bottle merchants' Arsenal after Man City win
Gary Neville performed a U-turn on David Raya and his claim that Arsenal were ‘bottle merchants’ after their victory against Manchester City.
The Gunners beat Pep Guardiola’s side in the Premier League for the first time under Mikel Arteta. It leaves the North London side second in the table, behind Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham on goals scored.
Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal for Arsenal via a ricochet off of Nathan Ake. Despite the victory, the afternoon did not start off well for Arteta’s side, with Raya looking uncertain after a difficult start to life as an Arsenal player. Neville was a critic of the Spanish stopper during the game.
He said: "He's just a bit jittery Raya. He's not seeing things as clearly as Arsenal fans would like. I can spot a keeper a mile off that's a nervous wreck and there's one right in front of you. The mistake in midweek he's carried into this game, he's not sharp enough and he's very lucky."
However, he performed an about turn come the final whistle and was full of praise for the Spaniard after his response. Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, he said: “I was worried about the goalkeeper in the first half - he averted a crisis there.
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“If he concedes a goal in the first half through one of those moments of anxiety, honestly you have seen it go like that. He had to get through that game and he did, otherwise that could have been a big problem.”
Mikel Arteta celebrates Arsenal's win against Man City with David Raya (Getty Images)Could Arsenal win the league? Share your thoughts in the comments below
While Neville hailed Raya for getting his display back on track against Man City, he also pointed the spotlight on Arsenal for securing a landmark victory - and one that could help them end their long wait for a Premier League crown.
The former Manchester United man added: “We’ve called them bottle merchants on here for 10 - 12 years. For a long time now we have said Arsenal always go missing and they don’t have that toughness, strength or power.
“But today is a big moment because in a game where they were not at their best, which was a massive struggle against the very best team, they came through it and got over the line. That is very important. They don’t ordinarily get over the line in these big games, but they have today.”
Arsenal will be aiming to add to their victory against Man City after the international break as they travel to Stamford Bridge for a showdown with Chelsea. They will then be attempting to get back on track in the Champions League.
The Gunners lost to Lens in their last European outing and face Sevilla in Spain at the end of the month. The La Liga side sacked Europa League winning boss Jose Luis Mendilibar after a poor start to the season.
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