Mikel Arteta praised David Raya’s stop of Ollie Watkins in the second half, calling it the “magic moment of the game” that helped Arsenal defeat Aston Villa.

Amadou Onana’s attempt went over the crossbar with the score at zero, and it rebounded to Watkins in midair. From a few yards away, the striker headed the ball towards the goal, but Raya made a fantastic reflex stop with his left palm.

Amadou Onana’s shot had defected off the crossbar beyond a diving Raya in the second half

Raya recovered to produce a diving stop when Ollie Watkins headed the rebound goalwards

According to Arteta, “it was the game’s magic moment,” since David Raya had a great opportunity to save them.

Despite the fact that it’s a challenging venue to play, the squad deserves a lot of respect for how little they gave up. Raya was always there for us and made some fantastic saves.

I judged it to be a goal based on the defensive line’s reaction. When the ball hits the crossbar while everyone is watching, I said, “No, please,” and when I saw Watkins, the striker, in that position, I knew that typically they would score, but David’s response was out of this world.

After the play, Raya considered how well he executed the manoeuvre and concluded that it wasn’t his finest save.”Everyone is a hero because we work together,” Raya remarked. I’m not the only one that saves the ball. I was there to stop Ollie’s header at a critical juncture in the game when it was at 0-0 and both teams had chances.It’s an outside-the-box shot, from what I recall. I try to rise up from where I am on the floor, but I can’t reach it. I just saw Ollie entering, so I move as fast as I can. There is nobody there to pick up the ball when I put my hand there.It’s just the same old thing. During workouts, you have to pick up a ball and save another. This time, it was fruitful. I don’t think this is my finest save; it’s just a response save.