flobaba Towards the end there was that free kick when Everton sent everyone forwards and Pickford launched it into the box. Raya came out, claimed and was fouled. In my mind I was thinking Ramsdale would probably have sat back and let the defenders deal with it or tried to punch instead of catching, and then it becomes a 50-50 situation which could cause trouble at a critical point in the game. That's the kind of subtle difference in goalkeeping approach - taking the initiative and calming things down, keeping everyone comfortable - that wins you games and helps you defuse a potential shaky scenario.
This may not be a good situation for Ramsdale to be in and I sympathize with that, but it's 100% a win for Arsenal.
A year ago Flobaba wrote this about Rays claiming balls. It was very under appreciated because the dominant conversation at the time was about this 2 goalie nonsense that somehow became a story. This for me is one of his biggest strengths and has been on display all season. Not just the headline-making saves, or the distribution, the calm demeanour. This was an instant upgrade
