Arteta Stands by Arsenal Star Amidst Error-Prone Performance in Victory Against Brentford

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has thrown his support behind goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale despite the player’s shaky performance in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Brentford on Saturday.

Ramsdale, who replaced David Raya for this match due to the latter’s ineligibility against his parent club, had a nervy first half.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper almost handed Brentford an early goal when he held onto the ball for too long, leading to a dispossessed situation. Fortunately, Declan Rice’s goal-line save denied Bryan Mbeumo’s attempt, and Yoane Wissa’s follow-up went wide. Ramsdale had another awkward moment when the ball slipped from his hand while attempting to distribute it long.

Despite these errors, Ramsdale managed to maintain a clean sheet, and Arsenal secured all three points with a late Kai Havertz goal in the 89th minute.

Arteta expressed his support for the goalkeeper after the match, highlighting Ramsdale’s courage and personality, stating, “This is football, I’m so happy with the team, we kept a clean sheet and we move on. He has big courage, big personality, and that’s why we love him. I enjoy seeing the players encouraging each other.”

In the game, Ramsdale achieved a 50% passing accuracy, made one save, and registered one high claim. Since joining Arsenal from Sheffield United in the summer of 2021 for €28 million, Ramsdale has made 86 appearances and kept 32 clean sheets across all competitions.

David Raya is expected to return to the goal for Arsenal’s upcoming Champions League fixture against Lens on Wednesday, November 29.