“You can see the desperation for him” - Ian Wright singles out Arsenal star for ‘lack of concentration’ in 3-1 win vs Brentford

Ian Wright has claimed that Arsenal star David Raya was lacking concentration in the early stages of the win over Brentford. He believes that the Gunners would have not won the match if the goalkeeper conceded the second goal.

Speaking on Premier League productions after the match, Wright stated that Raya did well to stop the ball from bouncing into the net after letting it slip between his hands. He added that the goal would have been disastrous for Arsenal as they would have struggled to return from 2-0 down. He said:

“It’s a lack of concentration from David Raya. He does brilliantly to recover. You can see the desperation from him. You can see how close it was. That would have been disastrous, especially with the way Arsenal were dominating.”

The Gunners legend was also full of praise for Ethan Nwaneri and added:

“What we’ve seen from him is his technical ability and great pace. Plus one of the most difficult things to do, something I probably wouldn’t have been able to do, which is take corners. I remember once I said to Arsene Wenger if I could take corners. He said no, because to put it into an area where so much is riding [on it]… it’s such a difficult skill. When you’ve got players, especially away from home, who can put the ball in an area – that’s perfect. I couldn’t do that.”

Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli scored for Arsenal after Bryan Mbuemo gave Brentford the lead early in the match. The Gunners are now 9 points behind leaders Liverpool after 19 matches, but the Reds have a game in hand.

Mikel Arteta comments on David Raya's mistake during Brentford vs Arsenal

Mikel Arteta was quizzed about David Raya's spill against Brentford and the manager admitted that he was lucky that the ball did not go into the goal. He added that the second goal would have made it difficult for them and said:

"That hopefully the walls doesn't vibrate, it was a really unusual action from David. It happens and we're lucky that the goal didn't go in, it would have probably changed the game. The team adapted, we lost some players again before the game. We had little issues, the team performs, goes out there, and with a 17-year-old in the starting line-up which is great to see that he plays with that courage and that determination."

Arsenal face Brighton & Hove Albion next in the league before taking on Newcastle United in the FA Cup next week.