-- 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
