Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has won August 2024's Premier League Save of the Month award for his stunning stop against Aston Villa.
Raya pulled off an incredible save to deny Ollie Watkins from close range.
The Arsenal goalkeeper was on the floor and behind his goalline after falling backwards in an attempt to save a deflected Amadou Onana shot that ended up hitting the crossbar.
Watkins followed up and looked certain to score, but somehow Raya got up and dived forward and to his left to keep out the striker's header before it crossed the line.
It proved crucial as it was at 0-0 of a match Arsenal went on to win 2-0.
'It's not my best save'
"Of what I remember, it's a shot from outside the box. I'm on the floor so I try to get up and I can't reach it," Raya recalled after the match. "I just see Ollie going in there so I react as quickly as possible I put my hand there and there's no one there to get the ball.
"It's just a repetition of things. You do drills and have to save one ball and get up to save another. This time it paid off. This is a reaction one, I don't think it's my best save."
Take it away, @daviidraya1...⛔️ pic.twitter.com/sYFzk0VGuu
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 13, 2024
The 28-year-old is the first Arsenal goalkeeper to win the monthly award since Aaron Ramsdale did so in April 2023 for his stop against Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. It is Raya's first Premier League monthly award win.
Raya's save topped a shortlist of six of the best saves across the month. Raya was the only goalkeeper to be nominated twice, as his stop to deny Wolverhampton Wanderers' Jorgen Strand Larsen was also in contention.
He wins the award after votes from the public were combined with those of a panel of experts.
