Mikel Arteta dodged questions about Aaron Ramsdale after the victory (Picture: TNT Sports)
Mikel Arteta bizarrely refused to individually praise Aaron Ramsdale after his clean sheet for Arsenal in the 1-0 win over Brentford on Saturday.
Ramsdale, who was thrown back into the XI with No.1 goalkeeper David Raya unavailable for selection, put in a mixed performance and made a key error in the first half which almost led to a Brentford goal.
The Englishman registered a clean sheet, though, and had a huge smile on his face at full-time as he high-fived a few members of the Arsenal staff before heading down the tunnel.
But after the game, his manager Arteta refused to individually praise the player in his post-match interview on TNT Sports.
Asked about Ramsdale’s performance, Arteta said: ‘I’m so happy with the team, with the way they performed, we got the clean sheet and I’m so happy with how everybody played.’
Quizzed whether it was understandable Ramsdale would be nervous from the Brentford fans’ reception, Arteta added: ‘The team was exceptional today.’
In contrast, Arteta singled out matchwinner Kai Havertz for praise and said: ‘I’m delighted. You just have to see the reaction of everybody, how much they love him, how much he brings to the team and this is what he needs to do.
‘Today we believed he could change the game in those moments, the way they were defending, it was the perfect timing, perfect execution and he won the game for us. That’s what big players do.’
Meanwhile, Owen Hargreaves and Darren Bent shared their thoughts on Ramsdale’s mixed performance on Premier League Productions.
‘He made a couple mistakes but it did not hurt the team,’ Hargreaves said. ‘That’s the real positive. It was a big moment for him with David Raya not playing.
‘One of the reasons why Raya has come in is because he’s so good with his feet. Obviously, it’s not Ramsdale’s greatest attribute.
‘[The first-half mistake involving Wissa] does not look great. For him, that would have been tough to make a mistake like that and then continue on.’
Bent added: ‘He’s had a lot to deal with. He can see walking over to those Arsenal fans how much they love him.
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‘They still idolise him. He knows he is in a tough moment, they know he is in a tough moment.
‘That first half probably won’t do him any favours in terms of moving forward. But as Owen said, you have to look at the positives.
‘He had a few saves in the second half. But at the same time, it’s going to be tough for him and he has to ride it out.’
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Aaron Ramsdale looked shaky despite his clean sheet.