Mikel Arteta praises Aaron Ramsdale for his ‘huge personality and courage’ after horror error in Arsenal’s victory against Brentford – as he admits the team ‘really wanted to win’ for under-fire goalkeeper
- Aaron Ramsdale gifted Brentford the equalizer in their 2-1 defeat at Arsenal
- The goalkeeper kicked the ball into Yoane Wissa after being closed
- Arsenal are making mugs of us, showing they don’t need a number 9 and Kai Havertz has become Mikel Arteta’s go-to guy – It all starts podcast
Mikel Arteta praised Aaron Ramsdale’s response to his nightmare mistake in Arsenal’s dramatic win against Brentford, admitting ‘we really wanted to win for him’.
The under-fire goalkeeper was handed a rare start in the Premier League as David Raya, Arteta’s No.1 this season, failed to feature for his parent club in the Emirates.
But he was left red-faced after allowing Yoane Wissa to equalize late in the first half, a mistake that thrust him into the spotlight and canceled out Declan Rice’s opener.
With Arsenal leading the way in their bid to climb to the top of the table, ahead of Liverpool and Manchester City, Ramsdale collected a back pass and looked set to loft it clear.
However, Wissa quickly raced towards him and charged through the clearance, with the stopper unable to prevent the ball from spinning into the air and falling over the line.
Mikel Arteta has praised Aaron Ramsdale’s response to his horror mistake against Brentford
Ramsdale was left red-faced after scoring in the 2-1 win against Yoane Wissa
Ramsdale’s blushes were spared when Kai Havertz headed in Ben White’s cross four minutes from time, and his relief was evident in his exuberant celebrations.
“Really happy, especially because he did exactly what he is: a person of enormous personality and courage, very determined,” Arteta said. ‘Mistakes are part of football.
‘It’s just how you react to it, especially for the goalkeepers, which is probably the most difficult position. He did that in a great way. I’m not surprised because the whole team and the whole stadium were behind him. He has earned respect and admiration.
‘We really wanted to win for him.’
Arsenal responded to their surprise setback in style, with Ramsdale making several stops in the second half before Havertz’s accurate header from close range.
Wissa (left) charged at the goalkeeper before the ball clattered off him and into the net
Ramsdale celebrated wildly after Kai Havertz scored the crucial winner for the hosts
Arteta highlighted his side’s fighting qualities after the match.
“I’m very pleased with the performance and the result obviously, and the way we did it,” he told the BBC.
‘It was against a team that demands a lot of emotional control and we did a fantastic job. We showed courage and were rewarded.
‘At 1-0 it could have been a completely different match, but because of the goal we conceded we had to play that match, but in the end we deserved to win the match.
‘That’s the beauty of this stadium. They provide support in case of mistakes. There were certain things we had to overcome. We really believed we would do it.”
