Arsenal star accused of being a ‘spectator’ in Premier League win over Wolves

Arsenal star David Raya was a ‘spectator’ in the first half of Arsenal’s Premier League win over Wolves on Saturday, says former goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

Raya was left with little to do in the opening 45 minutes with the Gunners heading into the break with a 1-0 lead, thanks to a 25th-minute goal from Kai Havertz.

The only moment in which Raya was properly called into action saw him produce a massive save, with his right hand denying Jorgen Strand Larsen an equaliser.

In the second half, Bukayo Saka made it 2-0, and that’s how it finished with Raya conjuring up another big save in the 94th minute to stop Daniel Podence’s volley.

‘Arsenal dominated the first half and were very dominant throughout most of the game,’ ex-England goalkeeper Robinson told the BBC.

‘David Raya was basically a spectator for the first half, which makes his save [from Strand-Larsen] even better.’

Meanwhile, Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has hailed goalscorers Havertz and Saka after the Gunners made the perfect start to the 2024-25 top-flight season.

‘We know [Saka’s] quality and Kai’s quality as well,’ Martinelli said. ‘They are really important for us and we trust them and we know they can decided games in a moment.

‘We got the win and we are really happy with that… We believe in ourselves and we know our quality.

‘Everyone loves [Mikel Arteta] and we are just lucky to play under him. You guys can see how we play from the outside.

‘We are just happy to have him as our manager. This is the most difficult league in the world and we know how hard it is to play against [Manchester] City. We have to go game-by-game.’