Atalanta boss issues verdict on David Raya and Mikel Arteta after Arsenal Champions League draw

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini spoke after his side’s solid home draw with Arsenal in their Champions League group stage opener on Thursday night. David Raya had to pull off a penalty save and a superb rebound save to keep his team on level terms, and the points were ultimately shared in Bergamo.

With Real Madrid the other seed one team Atalanta have to play, the Italian club will be pleased with their result against the Gunners, given they have a number of winnable games to come in the reshaped group stage. That’s something Gasperini echoed after the game, saying: “The performance, absolutely, it's a good point. It's normal, there's the regret of the missed penalty, going ahead at that moment would have been a reward for the whole team.

"It was a very useful match for us, we played against a great team, we come out of this match with a performance from the attackers in the defensive phase that had never been there before, this helped the collective performance of the whole defence. We played a great match, it was a great night for the crowd, the stadium is really beautiful, we met a great team like Arsenal, it was definitely a great night."

Asked about Raya’s superb double save, Gasperini added: “The penalty save was good, but the recovery on the second header was fantastic. He (Retegui) played his best game since he's been here, he deserved the goal. For now we are happy with what we have, then Retegui already plays with continuity, Bellanova either comes in or plays, then we will try to bring Brescianini and the others forward. The impact has been very positive, they arrived here with great enthusiasm, they all seem to me to be guys who need to grow."

Asked about what Mikel Arteta said to him after the game, the Atalanta boss concluded: “He complimented us, and I admire him greatly.”

Raya on his Bergamo exploits

Speaking to the Arsenal website about that wonder save, Raya said: “I saved it and then I was lucky enough to get up again and get the rebound, and then luckily enough then Declan I think it was managed to kick the ball for a corner, so obviously I’m delighted with the double save.

“I think this one is one of the top three in my career. Of course the Aston Villa got us to win the game and everything so that’s a little bit more special, but doing it in the Champions League is a dream.”