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- Aaron Ramsdale gifted Brentford an equaliser in their 2-1 defeat at Arsenal
- The goalkeeper kicked the ball against Yoane Wissa after being closed down
- Arsenal are making mugs of us, they are showing they don’t need a No 9 and Kai Havertz has become Mikel Arteta’s go-to guy – It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Mikel Arteta praised Aaron Ramsdale’s response to his nightmare error in Arsenal’s dramatic victory against Brentford and admitted ‘we really wanted to win for him’.
The under-fire goalkeeper was handed a rare start in the Premier League with David Raya, Arteta’s No 1 this season, ineligible to face his parent club at the Emirates.
But he was left red-faced after allowing Yoane Wissa to equalise late in the first half, a mistake that thrust him into the spotlight and cancelled out Declan Rice’s opener.
With Arsenal leading in their bid to climb to the top of the table, ahead of Liverpool and Manchester City, Ramsdale collected a back pass and looked to hoist clear.
However, Wissa was quick to race at him and charge down the clearance, with the stopper unable to prevent the ball spinning into the air and dropping over the line.
Mikel Arteta praised Aaron Ramsdale’s response to his horror mistake against Brentford
Ramsdale was left red-faced after his clearance cannoned against Yoane Wissa in the 2-1 win
Ramsdale’s blushes were spared when Kai Havertz headed home Ben White’s cross four minutes from time, and his relief was clear in his exuberant celebrations.
‘Really happy especially because he did exactly what he is, a person with huge personality and courage, very determined,’ Arteta said. ‘Errors are part of football.
‘It’s how you react to it, especially for the keepers which is probably the most difficult position. He did so in an amazing way. I’m not surprised because the whole team and the whole stadium was behind him. He has earned respect and admiration.
‘We really wanted to win for him.’
Arsenal responded in style to their surprise setback, with Ramsdale pulling off several stops in the second half before Havertz’s pinpoint close-range header.
Wissa (left) charged down the goalkeeper before the ball clattered off him and into the net
Ramsdale celebrated exuberantly after Kai Havertz scored the crucial winner for the hosts
Arteta singled out his side’s battling qualities post-match.
‘I am really satisfied with the performance and the result obviously, and the manner we did it,’ he told the BBC.
‘It was against a team that demands a lot of emotional control and we did in a great way. We showed courage and we were rewarded.
‘At 1-0 it could have been a very different game but with the goal we conceded we had to play that game, but in the end we deserved to win the game.
‘That is the beautiful thing about this stadium. They support with mistakes. We had certain things we would have to overcome. We fully believed we would do it.’
click above image
