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Arsenal begin Champions League campaign with draw away to Atalanta
Raya makes extraordinary double save - including keeping out penalty - to earn Gunners draw
Monaco stun 10-man Barcelona, plus wins for Atletico Madrid & Brest
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
27 September 2014: David Raya plays in Southport's 1-0 home defeat to Bristol Rovers in the Conference.
19 September 2024: David Raya produces an astonishing double save in the Champions League that will be talked about for years by Arsenal's fans.
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
There was a long VAR check for Atalanta's penalty call and goalkeeper David Raya used his time very wisely.
Watching the footage back Raya jogged over to the technical area and spoke to Arsenal's goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana.
Image source, Getty ImagesAtalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Former Chelsea player Juan Cuadrado has come on for Atalanta in place of Charles de Ketelaere.
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Robbie Savage
Former Premier League midfielder on TNT Sports
It is a wonderful save from David Raya but Mateo Retegui has to score. Should Raya even have had the chance to save it?
He headed the rebound back towards where the goalkeeper was. Yes he has to generate the power himself, and it was an outstanding save, but he has half the goal to aim at - a bad miss.
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Partey is a liability! Raya is different class!
Bill, Sheffield
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Arsenal have a big match on Sunday and that is surely in the back of Mikel Arteta's mind as he makes a double change.
Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus have made way for Leandro Trossard and Jorginho.
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RAYA YOU BEAUTY!!!
Nick the Gooner
Ben: I don't understand how Raya did that. Unreal!
John: Only mid September and Raya has already made the save of the season in the Premier League and UCL. Best keeper in the world.
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
I'm still thinking of that double save by David Raya.
Outstanding goalkeeping.
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Mikel Arteta is getting ready to send on Leandro Trossard and Jorginho.
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Martin Keown
Former Arsenal defender on TNT Sports
David Raya did well to stay patient and wait for Mateo Retegui, who took forever to take the kick, waiting for the goalkeeper to go down.
It was like a game of who blinks first? A superb initial save then gets on his feet to make the second one. If Arsenal get anything out of this game and that will be seen as a big turning point.
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
David Raya gets better and better with each game.
Worth watching the highlights show on BBC Two at 23:05 BST just for that double save alone!
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Robbie Savage
Former Premier League midfielder on TNT Sports
I have got to say that is one of the best saves I have ever seen, the second one. That is unbelievable! How he gets up so quickly.. Wow! One of the best saves I have ever seen!
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Leon Osman
Former Everton and England midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live
Wow. The first save is outstanding, low to his right.
Once it has been saved the ball bounces to his left and David Raya gets up scrambling across.
Retegui thinks he has a tap in!
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Incredible by David Raya!
The Arsenal keeper gets down to beat away Mateo Retegui's attempt and the Atalanta player reacts quickly to head the ball towards the net but Raya is equal to it.
That was an unbelievable reaction from the Spaniard.
Image source, PA MediaAtalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Finally a decision. The penalty stands!
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
A very lengthy check!
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Robbie Savage
Former Premier League midfielder on TNT Sports
It will be checked. The contact starts outside the box, a little pull on the shirt, but it continues inside the box and there is a little clip from Thomas Partey on Ederson. The foul began outside but it did continue inside. The clip was on the calf.
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Thomas Partey on Ederson!
Partey looks to pull Ederson outside the box but was there also a clip inside the penalty area?
The referee points to the spot but play has been held up while VAR looks at it.
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Honestly gutted after looking at the analysis of Gyökeres earlier tonight and then you see Jesus struggling up front. Gyökeres was genuinely the last piece of the puzzle for Arsenal to finally pip City and I cannot fathom why Arteta/Edu didn’t just splash the cash for him. It’ll be another season of disappointment…
Tom
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
Not a lot has changed.
The pattern of play is the same and the crowd are still making one heck of a noise.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| |
| 6 | Sparta Prague | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
|
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| 10 | Sporting CP | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 11 | Benfica | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| |
| 13 | Brest | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| |
| 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| |
| 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 20 | Bologna | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
| 21 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
| 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| |
| 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| |
| 24 | Sturm Graz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 25 | Red Star Belgrade | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 26 | Girona | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 27 | PSV | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 28 | Stuttgart | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| |
| 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| |
| 31 | Club Brugge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
|
| 32 | Red Bull Salzburg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
|
| 33 | Young Boys | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
|
| 34 | Slovan Bratislava | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
|
| 35 | Feyenoord | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
|
| 36 | Dinamo Zagreb | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | -7 | 0 |
|
Manager: Gian Piero Gasperini
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: Mikel Arteta
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
Manager: Gian Piero Gasperini
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: Mikel Arteta
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
UEFA Champions League
All competitions
Atalanta have never previously faced Arsenal in any competition. The Gunners will be the fifth English side they have met in major European competition, after Everton (W2), Man City (D1 L1), Liverpool (W2 L2) and Man Utd (D1 L1).
Arsenal have lost their last three away UEFA Champions League games in Italy, although this is their first trip there since 2013. Those defeats came at Roma (0-1 in 2009), Milan (0-4 in 2012) and Napoli (0-2 in 2013).
Atalanta’s last four UEFA Champions League games – all in the 2021-22 group stage – have seen both them and their opponents score two or more goals (D2 L2). In the entire history of the European Cup, no side has ever both scored and conceded 2+ goals in five consecutive matches.
Arsenal have won their opening match in each of their last six major European campaigns (five in UEFA Europa League and last season’s Champions League). The last side to beat the Gunners in their first game was Dinamo Zagreb in the 2015-16 Champions League.
The 2023/24 UEFA Europa League final – won 3-0 by his side – was Gian Piero Gasperini’s 50th game in charge of Atalanta in major European competition (excluding qualifiers). Gasperini has won just under half of those (48%), with 24 victories from 50 matches (D14 L12).
Only Atlético Madrid (+6.16) overperformed their xG total by a higher figure than Arsenal in last season’s UEFA Champions League (+5.49 – 19 goals from an xG of 13.51), while the Gunners also posted the third-highest shot conversion rate in the competition last term (15.7%), behind only Manchester United (16.9%) and Atlético de Madrid (16.8%).
Atalanta’s 23 UEFA Champions League matches have seen 3.6 goals per game (40 for, 43 against), the second-most of any team to feature 20+ times in the competition, behind Viktoria Plzen (3.8 per game).
Bukayo Saka was involved in eight goals in nine UEFA Champions League appearances for Arsenal in 2023-24 (4 goals, 4 assists), the most by an Englishman in their debut season, breaking the record set by Lee Bowyer for Leeds United in 2000-01 (6 goals, 1 assist).
Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman scored five times in his final three UEFA Europa League starts last season, including a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen. Lookman’s never scored in four career appearances against Arsenal, while his only UEFA Champions League appearance was in October 2019 for RB Leipzig against Zenit.
Raheem Sterling could make his UEFA Champions League debut for Arsenal in this game and would become the first player in European Cup history to play for four different English teams, having previously played for Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea. The other four players to play for three are David Batty (Leeds, Blackburn, Newcastle), Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea), William Gallas (Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs) and Kolo Touré (Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool).
