Sporting CP boss hails Arsenal star as ‘best player on the pitch’ as Henry makes Gunners claim | OneFootball

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was the “best player on the pitch” as the Gunners beat Sporting CP 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game in second-half injury time as Arsenal will now take a one-goal advantage into the second leg of their quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium.

Raya produced several brilliant saves to deny Sporting and keep a clean sheet, earning the Spaniard UEFA’s Player of the Match in Lisbon.

And Sporting CP boss Rui Borges insists that Raya was “the best player on the pitch” as Arsenal scraped a narrow victory in Portugal.

Borges told Prime Video: “Yes, I would say David Raya that was the best player on the pitch today because we had some really, really good chances to score but he made some superb saves.

“Our goalkeeper Rui [Silva] wasn’t overly troubled and it was a pretty equal game at the Emirates.”

Viktor Gyokeres made a return to the José Alvalade Stadium for the first time since his big-money move from Sporting CP to Arsenal in the summer.

When asked about his conversation with Gyokeres after the final whistle, Borges added: “I just asked if they were okay, if his family was okay. That I was happy for him.

“He deserves recognition, he helped me immensely to become national champion, he gave everything while he was here, he made history at Sporting and in the Portuguese championship, and he’s always welcome. He deserves to be applauded.”

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry reckons the Gunners are “the most solid team” left in the Champions League but fears that their big weakness could let them down.

When asked to identify Arsenal’s biggest strength and weakness ahead of the match in Lisbon, Henry said on CBS Sports: “We know their biggest strength already, they are strong as a team and very solid.

“For me they are the most solid team in the Champions League. We also know about the set-pieces – people are crying about that but it’s a part of the game and a big advantage for Arsenal because they’re pretty good at it.

“But if the defence doesn’t work I don’t think we are creating enough at times to be able to hurt teams and that might be an issue.”

Speaking after the match, Henry added: “It’s better than coming back with a 0-0 obviously!

“There wasn’t much in the game or a lot of creativity but they did what they had to do. They won away from home, let’s see what happens at the Emirates.”