Only five goalkeepers have saved penalties in the English Premier League (EPL) ahead of match day 28 of the season according to data obtained from Transfermarkt....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
However, only one of them has saved more than David Raya within the period. Who is this goalie and how did he do it?
David Days in action
This lone shot stopper is Alphonse Francis Aréola of West Ham United. This French international is the first goalkeeper to prevent multiple penalties in the EPL this season.
He made his first penalty save on match day 2 when the Hammers hosted Chelsea. He had to face a spot kick from Enzo Fernández after a foul on Raheem Sterling. Interestingly, the safe hands of the Frenchman prevented the shot from going into the net.
Areola was also in the news when he stopped another spot kick on March 2. This time, it was an away clash at Everton. The taker was denied a goal by the French goalie.
Meanwhile, he has conceded spot kicks in 4 games between these two saves. These include one each against Liverpool, Aston Villa, Burnley and Arsenal.
David Raya made his first spot kick save of this EPL season in December, 2023. It followed a foul on Emerson Palmieri in stoppage time.
Winger Saïd Benrahma took the kick with his right foot but was deftly denied by the Arsenal shot stopper. Unfortunately, the Gunners went on to lose the game by a margin of two goals.
The other 3 goalies on the list have saved one penalty each. These shot stoppers are Martin Dúbravka (Newcastle), Neto (Bournemouth) and Robert Sánchez (Chelsea).
It should be noted that Raya is currently the top contender for EPL golden boot having made 9 clean sheets ahead of match day 28 of the season…CONTINUE READING>>
