David Raya Take A Bow! (Marty) | Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal

Welcome back to AFTV. I'm here with my boy, Marty. Big stacks, Marty. How you doing, bro? Final boss, big Marty. Big stacks, Marty. But no, let's get down to it. Arsenal go to the Stadium of Light, and as you like to say, Marty, they've put the lights out, beating Sunderland 2-0. I've got to say, though, before I bring you in, great game to watch. Very eventful, very competitive. Arsenal deserved winners, but I think you will agree with me, Marty, that Sunderland, they gave us a run for our money today. Laurie, you nicked my opening lights. Opening lights? My opening line of Arsenal, under the lights, go to the Stadium of Light and turn the lights out. Listen, 2-0 to the Arsenal, and that last season, you know, we conceded two goals. We went away with a point, and what a fantastic game of football. The first half, Sunderland stuck it on us, and they played their game as you kind of knew that they would. They were physical. They got in our faces. They were quite happy giving us the ball around the halfway line and letting us sort of attack them, and they tried to take their chances where they did. And then the second half comes, and our tether makes, obviously, Ben White, unfortunately, looks like he goes off with an injury. Durian Timber comes into the fold, and Bruno G. And listen, this is how games of football go. Before we do that, I think we should start where the whole game turned, the 56th minute. Now, Konza and Dan Ballard, and Dan Ballard was another one, like Robbie, was really proving a bit of a handful up top. Every set piece, Dan Ballard was getting into it with our defenders. They're both tussling for the ball. Now, me personally, I know I'm going to come across as biased to some people, no way was that a penalty. Ballard and Konza were both pulling each other's shirts, both getting involved physically. The referee has given a penalty for that. It's not been overturned by VAR. I thought that was a poor decision. What do you think? I thought the referee was poor in parts, but I'm going to say this. I'm pleased that they got that penalty, and I'll tell you why. No, but do you think it was a way that, like you said, Dan Ballard was very clever. He had Konza's shirt, and he pulls him into him, which makes Konza fall on top of him. But they gave it. We've seen them give them, we've seen them not give them. Well, I guess my point is, it was two physical players. Dan Ballard is a very physical player, like Konza. Yeah, he is. And they were both tugging and pulling and pushing and shoving. You know what I mean? There was no way that was a penalty for me. But it was given. And listen, what I love about that penalty, right, step up David Rea and take a bow. Because that penalty was bang in the bottom corner, and that guy perfectly executes that save. As a goalkeeper, you've got a 10% chance of saving that. And he gets one solid hand to it. And you see, he's prepared for the high. If you rewatch that in slow motion, he's prepared for the high mid-range shot. And then he adjusts his body mid-flight and puts a strong hand to it. It puts it onto the post. And that is what changes the momentum of the game. And then we go down the other end and the substitute. Two minutes late. Gee, yeah. The ball gets played across. He picks up the ball on the edge of the D and bang. That hits the crossbar and goes straight in the back of the net. He reels off to the fans. Ex-Newcastle captain goes to the stadium a lot and sticks it right to him. And I'll tell you what, what a great bit of managerial masterclass from Mikel Arteta in sticking him on the pitch. You know, some say he should have started, and I said, but he put him on it just the right time. And moments like that, we could have ended up being one nil down. Then we know that Sunderland would have been even more compact, more resolute. But they missed the penalty. And the momentum goes in our favour. And you could see then Sunderland losing a little bit of confidence. And that's what gives us that opportunity. And Bruno takes that chance. And of all players, as a Sunderland fan, you'd hate it to be him that puts us one nil up. We also had another set piece and scored a set piece yet. Well, we did. Our other substitute, Jurien Timber, the ball gets played in. He was just offside, heads it into the back of the net. And that could have been two nil right there and then game done and dusted. But then it rolls on to the end with Saka, you know, Renaldo obviously on a booking. You know that you can't manhandle your man like that. And, you know, I think the game was done. You were quite nervy throughout the stream. I was comfortable with the one nil to the Arsenal. Another one nil performance. But no, we get a penalty. And if I'm honest with you, Sunderland's penalty was executed better than the penalty that Saka executed. And this is the difference. And I bang on about David Rea, right? Rolfes could try to get two hands, but he couldn't keep that out. David Rea saves that, right? David Rea saves that penalty at the end because that penalty was better. But Saka puts it in the back of the net. Two nil. We have won four out of four. In the last six games, we've conceded one goal. It's W, W, W, W, W. Six wins on the bounce. People have seriously got to start respecting this Arsenal team. This and the depth and people say, oh, it's only early in the season. I am so excited to watch Arsenal this season because they are proving game in, game out their quality. The depth they can bring off the bench. When you look at that bench, the names on that bench, it's stacked with quality. Esri Konza as well. Listen, he gave away the penalty. Was it a penalty? We said, look, I'm not going to blame him for that. What I loved about Esri Konza is that battle with Granit Xhaka. Granit Xhaka and him had a right good go at each other. And in these games, this is what Premier League football, when they say it's the toughest league in the world, that's what they mean. It's these physical battles where you get domineering characters that will not back down from a confrontation. And Esri Konza has just walked straight into that position and been like, do you know what? I am taking this opportunity and you've got to get this shirt back off of me, to whether it's Mascara or Saliba. Listen, Saliba, we know the quality of this player and when he comes back, it poses a serious question. I thought Esri Konza was fantastic. Declan Rice again, opening up the midfield, how he does driving the game. I thought he had a fantastic... Martin Odegaard again. Listen, Martin Odegaard is keeping up this level of performance that we want to see from him in an Arsenal shirt. And I'll say, shout out to Solis as well. There was a time in the ball comes over to him and he gives it a touch and then you've got a three-on-three situation that just opens the game up. And Kai Havertz, you would have loved, he drags the ball back. I think personally, he should have shot. He didn't have the best game on his account, but he was a handful. Obviously, there's this Victor Lloqueres and should he have started, but I would have loved to have seen him smash that. We could have won the game by more. Listen, but in games like that, all you need are three points. And to go to the stadium of light and win 2-0, keep a clean sheet and get physical with a team like that, that wanted that physical game. And what we're seeing with this Arsenal side is we are rough and we are tough and we can play ball, man. We can mix it up however you want to mix it up, but we're just going to take it to you. Well said, man. Well, you didn't come up for air with that. I was going to say thanks so much because you make an interviewer's job so easy. We don't have to say nothing, just put the mic there. One question. One question and I will just roll through it. Just roll through it. Anyway, well done. I'm glad I made your job easy tonight. Well done, man. Thank you. It's been a pleasure.