Paul Merson applauded Aaron Ramsdale for the ‘nice moment’ he had with Arsenal's penalty shootout hero David Raya following the team's Champions League last-16 win against Porto.
Five years after playing for Blackburn against Wigan in the Championship, Raya stopped Wendell and Galeno from 12 yards to secure the Gunners a spot in the quarter-finals, with Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice all scoring their penalties.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard had earlier equalized the match with a calm 41st-minute goal to send the Emirates into celebration.
But the two teams couldn't be separated after regular and extra-time and Raya came through when it counted most, in what has been an eventful debut season for the goalkeeper since his loan move from Brentford.
In the joyous scenes after Arsenal’s shootout victory, TV cameras captured a smiling Ramsdale giving Raya a bear hug and congratulating his fellow ‘keeper on his performance.
Ramsdale has lost his position as the goalkeeper to Raya and faces an uncertain future in north London, with club legend David Seaman encouraging the England international to consider his options after falling down the pecking order.
Following Tuesday’s intense shootout, ex-Arsenal and England midfielder Merson told Sky Sports: ‘It’s an incredible night for Raya who, let’s be honest, faced a lot of criticism when he first arrived at Arsenal.
‘He’s shown tonight what a fantastic goalkeeper he is.’
When asked if Raya’s recent performances proved Mikel Arteta was right to support the shot-stopper, Merson responded: ‘Yes, I think so.
‘He stood by him, he wanted him in, he’s brought him in and credit to him.
‘And it’s a pleasant moment… Ramsdale has gone over to him, classy, and he’s smiling and hugging him. It’s a nice touch.’
After Arsenal secured a Champions League quarter-final place for the first time since 2010, Merson claimed his former side possessed the quality and character to go ‘a long, long, long, long way’ in the competition.
‘They’re through the to quarter-finals, top of the Premier League. It’s all going well for Arsenal at the moment. Brilliant,’ he added.
‘It only gives you confidence [in the title race]. Plus, you’ve also got that extra thing to fall back on. If they’d have gone out and then lost to Manchester City then you’re on a bit of a downer.
‘Now, all of a sudden, they go to Manchester City, they’ve still got the Champions League as well. It’s a massive, massive boost for Arsenal and it’s brilliant for the fans as well.’
Merson continued: ‘Again, in this game, they didn’t know whether to stick or twist, didn’t really play with a tempo. But they stuck in there.
'Porto were much better than I expected, I thought they were exceptional.'
'What amazing penalties by Arsenal, excellent goalkeeping. When you have penalties like that and you have penalty takers and a goalkeeper that can save penalties, you can go a long way in this competition.'
Merson believes Arsenal are 'progressing' under Arteta and pose the 'primary threat' to Champions League holders Manchester City – last year’s treble winners – this season.
'Over two legs, they are Manchester City’s primary threat, in my opinion,' he continued.
'I think Arsenal can go far if they can avoid Manchester City.'
'It’s addressed the issue. They've been exiting these competitions too often, many years ago at this stage, and they’ve gone through tonight.'
'Arsenal are advancing, they are a very good team.'
Arsenal can now look forward to the Champions League quarter-final draw which takes place on March 15.
In Tuesday night’s other second leg clash, La Liga giants Barcelona secured their place in the next stage with a 4-2 aggregate victory over Serie A champions Napoli.
Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid had already advanced, while Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, PSV Eindhoven all remain in the hunt for the last eight.
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