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Aaron Ramsdale was called up to the Arsenal XI against Brentford as David Raya is ineligible to face his parent club, but the England goalkeeper had a moment to forget.
Aaron Ramsdale had a moment to forget on his return to the Arsenal team, gifting Brentford an equalizer in their crucial Premier League match on Saturday.
Ramsdale, 26, has endured a frustrating season after spending most of it as second choice to David Raya. However, with the Spaniard ineligible to face his parent club due to him only being on loan, Arteta gave Ramsdale a rare start against the Bees.
Declan Rice gave the Gunners the lead with a powerful header and they were in complete control until Ramsdale unleashed a shot just before the break. After receiving a pass from Gabriel, Ramsdale dropped back to clear his lines, allowing Yoane Wissa to slide in and block the ball, which he bounced into the net.
Arsenal players were quick to surround Ramsdale and give the disgraced stopper some confidence after making the costly mistake.
Arsenal fans were quick to criticize the returning goalkeeper on social media as they claimed he vindicated Mikel Arteta’s decision to use Raya as first choice since his arrival from Brentford. One even suggested that Arteta should name Karl Hein on the bench for the rest of the season…
One read: “They called Mikel Arteta crazy when he benched Aaron Ramsdale and started Raya in the previous games. Watch now.” Another added: “Unfortunately that’s one of the reasons Ramsdale has been on the bench, he always makes a mistake, it’s a shame because he can be brilliant but inconsistent and it was a bad decision.”
A third continued: “The team mentality is so much better than I would be in that dressing room with Ramsdale, let me tell you now, all the hard work was undone by something more than unnecessary.
A fourth said: “That mistake by Ramsdale is unacceptable.” A fifth admitted: “If we don’t win today, put Hein on the bench. You can’t make these kinds of mistakes at this level. He (Ramsdale) is out of his league.”
A sixth angry Arsenal fan said: “Surely that’s it for Ramsdale now? I thought Raya was bad for taking extra steps and cutting back well but that was just another thing.”
A seventh lamented: “I will say Ramsdale still cost us the league last season. Too many mistakes. Raya has always been my first choice. I hope the blind fans can see now.”
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp was sympathetic to Ramsdale, who has only started six Premier League games so far this season.
“The ball comes back to him and he just moves his feet, the touch is really good because it sets him up for the next pass, but then he doesn’t see Wissa coming towards him. I have to be honest, I’m devastated for him,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
“How he must feel at this moment, he couldn’t tell us, because when you are in that position as a player, you know that you are the one who let the team down in some way by being at fault for that goal.” .
“It takes real character to walk out of that locker room at halftime and see his teammates come out to him at halftime, but the last thing you want after that is a hug from him.”
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