Mikel Arteta's Aaron Ramsdale refusal speaks volumes after Brentford victory
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta refused to namecheck Aaron Ramsdale after the stand-in goalkeeper kept a clean sheet in the Gunners' important win at Brentford.
Ramsdale was thrust into the starting line-up at the Gtech Community Stadium with first-choice keeper David Raya ineligible to face his former club. The former Sheffield United man survived an early scare when he was caught in possession but was saved by a goal-line clearance from Declan Rice, and Arsenal eventually claimed all three points when Kai Havertz headed home an 89th-minute winner.
Ramsdale was embraced by his colleagues after helping seal the deal with a late claim, and spirits were high in the away camp once victory was sealed. It meant Arsenal will end the weekend top of the Premier League table, capitalising on the draw between Manchester City and Liverpool earlier in the day.
Arteta was clearly delighted for Havertz after the summer signing came up trumps. When it came to Ramsdale, though, the reaction was a little more subdued.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Arteta was asked about Ramsdale's part in the clean sheet. However, rather than praising the keeper directly, the Spaniard made a point of speaking highly of the collective.
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"I'm so happy with the team, the way we performed," he said. "We got the clean sheet and I'm so happy with the way everyone played."
When pressed on Ramsdale's early nerves, he once again refused to bite. "I think the team was exceptional today," the manager said.
What did you make of Aaron Ramsdale's performance? Have your say in the comments section
Ramsdale was making a rare start against Brentford (PA)Earlier in the interview, Arteta opened up a little more when quizzed on Havertz. Going into the game, a penalty at Bournemouth was the German's only Premier League goal since his big-money arrival from Chelsea over the summer, but he scored for Germany during the international break and built on the confidence that gave him.
Havertz began the game on the bench, with Arteta opting for Leandro Trossard in the role often occupied by the German. However, after coming on for the final 20 minutes, the summer signing made a fine late run to meet a deep Bukayo Saka cross and plant a low header into the back of Mark Flekken's net.
"Delighted," he said when asked about the former Chelsea man. "You only had to see the reaction, how much [the other players] love him and how much it means to the team.
"It's what he needs to do. Today we believed he could change the game in those moments, the way they were defending, and it was perfect timing and a perfect situation and he won the game for us. That's what big players do."
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