David Raya Deserves the Spotlight Stolen by VAR Storm | OneFootball

VAR controversy marred Arsenal‘s potentially decisive 1-0 win at West Ham on Sunday, overshadowing David Raya’s role and his clinching of the Golden Glove.

David Raya would’ve been at the centre of the debrief from Arsenal’s trip to West Ham on Sunday, even if the Hammers’ controversially disallowed equaliser hadn’t happened.

The difference is everyone’s been left squabbling about the implementation of VAR as opposed to lauding the Spanish goalkeeper for once again playing a decisive role as the Gunners put one hand on the Premier League trophy.

A few minutes before Pablo committed the apparent foul that eventually led to Callum Wilson’s goal being chalked off, Raya came to Arsenal’s rescue – and there would’ve been no question about the legitimacy of that goal.

Mateus Fernandes seized the opportunity to burst onto the ball and into the Arsenal box, playing a one-two with Pablo that left the Portugal international one-on-one with Raya. The midfielder shaped to shoot one way before instead aiming for the near post, but the goalkeeper made the vital intervention.

The look on Mikel Arteta’s face said it all. Arsenal got out of jail.

There are certainly questions to be asked of Fernandes’ finish and why he took the extra touch that meant he was almost on top of the keeper when pulling the trigger, but the fact Raya made such an important stop was befitting of his season.

That save – and the VAR intervention shortly after – secured Raya the Premier League Golden Glove, the award given to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in a season. And what makes this all the more impressive is that it’s the third successive season in which he’s won – or shared – the award.

His total number of clean sheets this season will surpass his figures from 2023-24 (16) and 2024-25 (13), however. He’s already on 18, and if he keeps two more, he’ll become just the seventh different goalkeeper to reach 20 in a single season. That would put him among illustrious company.

Of course, you’d be right to point out that clean sheets isn’t a great metric to measure goalkeeper quality because preventing the opposition from scoring isn’t just down to the individual in goal.

The same point can be made regarding Raya’s achievement of taking the Golden Glove in three successive seasons because the core of Arsenal’s defence has been largely the same, but there also comes a point where you have to acknowledge there is some correlation between a high number of clean sheets and being an excellent goalkeeper.

Raya has probably passed that point.

After all, he’s kept a clean sheet in 44.3% of his Premier League appearances for Arsenal; among goalkeepers with 50+ games for a single club in the competition, only four have recorded shutouts in a greater proportion of matches.

Raya has operated behind a highly effective defence ever since he joined Arsenal, though it’s fair to say he’s made his own considerable contribution and will likely be in contention for other individual awards over the coming weeks.

It’s not that Raya’s made countless astonishing saves that defy the laws of physics, nor has he kept Arsenal’s title challenge on track on his own. But he’s dependable and he inspires confidence.

He’s committed just one error leading to a goal in the Premier League this season, and he would argue he wasn’t even at fault for that one as Gabriel Magalhães pretty much headed the ball out of Raya’s hands just before Wolves got their equaliser in February’s 2-2 draw at Molineux.

There are only three goalkeepers (1,500+ minutes) to commit no errors leading to goals this season, but Raya (3,240 mins) has spent considerably more time on the pitch than two of them (Karl Darlow – 1,710 mins, Alisson – 2,250 mins).

It could be pointed out that Raya faces fewer shots so is always likely to be at fault for fewer goals than many other keepers. This is also fair, though Raya does have the sixth best save percentage this term (69.8%) and he sees more of the ball at his feet than most goalkeepers, which opens up the threat of a different kind of error. Both points, coupled with the fact he’s made just the sole mistake leading to a goal, help support the perception of him as a reliable presence between the posts.

In fact, Raya’s dependability is probably one of the aspects that makes him so key for Arsenal; not purely in terms of save percentage (though that’s obviously important for a goalkeeper), but because he retains this level through quiet spells.

A key criticism of his Arsenal predecessor, Aaron Ramsdale, was a lack of concentration. Bizarrely, Ramsdale even admitted a couple of years ago in a Behind The Game interview that this was a weakness of his, saying: “If you ask me to focus on a game of football for 90 minutes, I’m finished. I can’t do it.”

Raya certainly hasn’t given off a similar vibe this season, with captain Martin Ødegaard recently commending the Spaniard for being “so consistent”. And it’s difficult to argue with that.

It’s consistency that’s helped certain goalkeepers rise above the rest when looking back at Premier League greats. Raya may not yet be seen in a similar light by those who aren’t Arsenal fans, though it’s fair to say he’s heading in the right direction.

The only other goalkeepers to win (or share) the Golden Glove in three successive seasons are Pepe Reina, Joe Hart and Ederson; similarly, only Hart and Petr Cech have won it more than three times in total (four each).

Furthermore, Raya’s record of 0.79 goals conceded per match is the fourth best of any goalkeeper in Premier League history to have played 100+ matches at a single club.

And in terms of clean sheets, Raya’s 27 in all competitions this term has only been bettered five times in the Premier League era; the record (32 – Edwin van der Sar, 2008-09) is beyond him, but he could yet join Reina (2005-06) on 30 for a share of second.

But while we did note that you have to take a pinch of salt with clean sheet records because there’s also 10 outfielders who can have some say in the matter, Raya can certainly pinpoint moments that could be looked back on as crucial if Arsenal get their title charge over the line.

There was Sunday’s stop from Fernandes at 1-0; he made a brilliant, acrobatic save to deny Yankuba Minteh in December’s 2-1 win over Brighton; his quick reactions denied Sandro Tonali a certain goal in last month’s 1-0 defeat of Newcastle; and his fingertip save to thwart Matheus Cunha at Old Trafford on the first weekend of the season could be said to have set the tone for him and the Gunners. In each example, he could claim to have earned points with his input.

Raya’s involvement in one of the season’s most controversial moments ended up overshadowing his own massive contribution to the win that probably secured Arsenal their first Premier League title for 22 years. It wasn’t through any fault of his own, either – he genuinely was fouled by Pablo.

But he deserves to be recognised for his part in that potentially seismic victory, which was a fitting moment in a fine individual campaign and – almost certainly – a successful season for the team.

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