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

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

The Gunners took the lead via a thunderbolt from Noni Madueke before Martin Zubimendi put a chance on a platter for the Englishman 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, David Raya between the sticks deserves recognition for a stellar performance.

Arsenal had managed only one clean sheet in six coming into this tie, but the 30-year-old refused to be beaten.

The Spaniard made seven saves, including six from inside the box and prevented expected goals of around 1.12.

The ‘magnificent’ goalkeeper also completed 21 of 24 passes, demonstrating effective distribution.

Raya made smart saves from Carlos Forbs, Christos Tzolis and Aleksandar Stankovic.

Football London gave him an 8/10 rating and hailed his performance. He was the unheralded hero for Arsenal on the night.

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

The North Londoners have been decimated by injuries, leaving them light at the back.

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.

Manchester City are breathing down their necks.

Arsenal’s watertight defence was the core of this team.

At the beginning of the season, they 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 till the defenders return.

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