David Coverdale reviews Tuesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, first-leg tie featuring Arsenal.
Sporting 0-1 Arsenal
David Raya was Arsenal’s saviour once again, producing a series of phenomenal saves before they stole all three points against Sporting Lisbon with a stoppage-time winner.
The result puts Arsenal in pole position in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final and steadies rising nerves after a night in which Sporting dominated for long stretches, losing for the first time at home in 17 games to Kai Havertz’s late goal.
Nobody could have known in the sixth minute how decisive Raya’s first major intervention would prove to be.
Ousmane Diomande’s outside-of-the-boot long pass caught out the Arsenal defence and Maxi Araujo struck a first-time shot exceptionally well, but Raya’s fingertips diverted the ball onto the underside of the crossbar and it bounced back out.
Raya's saves turn the tide for Arsenal
“It’s an unbelievable touch,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told Amazon Prime. “And it was early in the match – it could have changed the tie.”
The Arsenal goalkeeper has conceded only 12 Champions League goals since the start of last season and Opta estimate he has prevented more goals from key shots than any other goalkeeper in that period.
For a side bruised by an FA Cup defeat to Southampton at the weekend, following the EFL Cup final loss to Manchester City before the international break, it was a crucial intervention.
“This was a big turnaround for us,” Havertz told Amazon Prime. “We lost the last two matches. We wanted to get a turnaround today and we made that happen. We stick together as a group and there’s so much more to come this season.”
Raya has produced a string of incredible saves at vital moments throughout the season as he cements his status among the world’s best goalkeepers.
Havertz went further, insisting Raya is “underestimated in the world of football” and calling him “the best keeper in the world” over the past two seasons. “He's outstanding, he's saved us so many times and we're very glad to have him,” he added. Arteta agreed with the assessment.
After he pushed a curling cross from Alejandro Garnacho around the post in stoppage-time to preserve a lead against Chelsea last month Arteta admitted: “My heart almost stopped, but David’s hand was there to bring it back to life.”
In December, he was at full stretch to tip Brighton & Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh's powerful shot over the bar, which maintained a 2-1 lead and won him the Coca-Cola Save of the Month award.
Watch Raya's December Coca-Cola Save of the Month
Equally important here was Arsenal’s ability to withstand the early Sporting storm. The Portuguese side’s four shots in the opening 10 minutes were the most Arsenal have faced in that period of any game this season.
Perhaps the most telling sign of how tough a first half it was for Arsenal was that Martin Odegaard’s shot in the 43rd minute was their only shot on target. Arteta repeatedly urged his players to press with greater intensity.
There were flashes of threat from Arsenal. Noni Madueke struck the crossbar directly from a corner with a whipped delivery, while in the second half Odegaard troubled Rui Silva with a dipping free-kick that the Sporting goalkeeper tipped over.
But Sporting had the edge for most of the match and Raya was called upon to make five saves throughout the night – including another standout stop in the 83rd minute to turn a header around his near post.
Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer, co-commentating for Amazon Prime, insisted that “the brilliance of David Raya at the back” gave Arsenal “that platform to get something”.
Arteta's substitutes prove vital
This was the eighth time an Arsenal substitute has scored in the Champions League this season, a record bettered only by Paris Saint-Germain.
Their 38 goal involvements from substitutes – 24 goals and 14 assists – are more than any side in Europe’s top five leagues.
Kai Havertz entered on 70 minutes. Max Dowman arrived six minutes later, becoming the youngest English player – at 16 years and 97 days – to appear in a Champions League quarter-final. He was joined by Gabriel Martinelli.
It looked as though Arsenal would take a well-earned point back to Emirates Stadium until the substitutes combined. Martinelli played a sensational ball into the box and Havertz controlled it before calmly slotting past Silva.
“So much quality, that guy,” Havertz said of Martinelli. “As a striker or attacking midfielder you always wait for these moments. He made it so well – credit to Martinelli.”
It was the fourth time this season Arsenal substitutes have combined to assist and score in the Champions League – the most by any team in a single season of the competition.
The win looks set to confirm English clubs will finish in the top two for “average points” in the Uefa coefficient rankings, securing an extra Champions League qualification place for the Premier League.
It will be welcomed by Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea, the favourites for the top five.
Arsenal are starting to believe they can win it this season – “100 percent we can,” Raya said.
Champions League winners are often built on strong defences and Arsenal have now kept seven clean sheets in the competition this season – no side has kept more.
“Those clean sheets make it easier to win games,” Raya added.
See: Arsenal report