David Raya steps up as Arsenal down Club Brugge with makeshift defence | OneFootball

Arsenal claimed a resounding 3-0 win over Club Brugge to maintain their lead at the top of the Champions League table.

The Gunners took the lead via a thunderbolt from Noni Madueke before Martin Zubimendi put a chance on a platter for him to notch his brace.

Gabriel Martinelli scored to become the first Arsenal player to net in five consecutive Champions League matches.

While Madueke, Zubimendi and Martinelli will likely get all the plaudits, goalkeeper David Raya deserves recognition for a stellar performance.

Raya had only kept one clean sheet in six coming into this tie, but he refused to be beaten.

The Spaniard made seven saves, including six from inside the box. The ‘magnificent’ goalkeeper also completed 21 of 24 passes, demonstrating effective distribution.

Raya made smart saves from Carlos Forbs, Christos Tzolis and Aleksandar Stankovic. He was awarded an 8/10 rating by football.london.

With Piero Hincapie and Christian Norgaard lining up in defence in front of him, Raya needed to be at his best for Arsenal and delivered the goods.

William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Cristhian Mosquera are all currently sidelined.

Arsenal will need Raya to play out of his skin in the coming games as they look to take their lead at the top of the Premier League table into the new year.

The Gunners harboured dreams of breaking Chelsea’s record of only 15 goals conceded in a season.

However, with injuries threatening to break the rearguard and derail Arsenal’s campaign, they will have to shelve those dreams and hope Raya steps up until the defenders return.

The Gunners welcome bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium this weekend.