Raya the hero as stunning save helps Arsenal to Atalanta draw David Raya proved the hero for Arsenal as the Gunners began their Champions League campaign with a 0-0 draw away at Atalanta.

How the Arsenal players got on individually in the 0-0 draw with Atalanta in the Champions David Raya impressed for Arsenal vs Atalanta
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Arsenal secured a 0-0 draw against Atalanta despite a below par performance.

The two save where a free kick from Bukayo Saka and a skied effort from Gabriel Martinelli were the only real highlights.

Things sparked into life almost immediately in the second period though as Thomas Partey was penalised for pulling down Ederson in the box. Mateo Retegui stepped up for the hosts but

Arsenal then had decent chances through Martinelli, while Juan Cuadrado went close for the visitors. In the grand scheme of things it’s a positive point for the Gunners, whose focus will now turn to Sunday’s Premier League heavyweight clash with Manchester City.

Here’s how football.london rated the Arsenal players in the game.

David Raya: Another brilliant save from the Spaniard when Arsenal needed it most. The penalty save itself was superb, but the rebound probably eclipses even the stop at Aston Villa. Arsenal truly have a world class keeper between the sticks. 8.

Ben White: Added to Arsenal’s sense of defensive solidity on the night. A little caught out of position for the penalty though. 6.

William Saliba: Retegui barely had a sniff and Saliba was a huge cause of that. Looked really solid throughout. 7.

Gabriel: Carried on from his impressive display at Spurs. A really mature and assured European away performance from the Brazilian. 7.

Jurrien Timber: Did well on his second consecutive start in quick succession. Atalanta did not create much down the right and his inverting gave Arsenal a good option on the ball. 7.

Thomas Partey: Several really poor giveaways in the middle of the park from the Ghanaian. Penalty give away showed total naivety from an experience player too. If he plays like this against City, Arsenal will be in trouble. 5.

Kai Havertz: Switched in between the midfield and centre forward position throughout the match. His passing was not always the best but his off the ball work was typically impressive. 6.

Declan Rice: Set piece delivery was not at its usual best on the night. Generally pretty strong in midfield but had a tendency to hold on to the ball just a split second too long. 6.

Bukayo Saka: Went very close early on with a superb free kick that nearly caught out Carnesecchi. Quiet aside from that but still a surprise to see him go off. A sign that Arteta wants to keep him fresh for Sunday perhaps. 6.

Gabriel Jesus: With Odegaard’s injury Jesus looks set for a run in the team with Havertz back in midfield. This was not the kind of convincing performance that would have eased nerves about the Norwegian’s absence. Link up play wasn’t at its best, while his movement was uncharacteristically lacking. 5.

Gabriel Martinelli: Worked his socks off on the ball so it feels harsh to be critical. Arsenal’s two biggest chances of the night fell to the Brazilian though and he wasted them both. 6.

SUBSTITUTES –

Leandro Trossard: His passing was a little off on a few occasions after coming off the bench. 6.

Jorginho: Gave Arsenal much more security in possession after coming on. May just have earned himself a start against City. 7.

Raheem Sterling: Played one great ball through to Martinelli that should have led to a goal. Interesting to see him used on the right this time instead of on the left. 6.

Riccardo Calafiori: Solid after coming on down the left hand side. Arsenal will be glad to have his versatility back. 6.

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