Garth Crooks has shared that he was ‘impressed’ by Aaron Ramsdale’s recovery save after stopping James Maddison’s free-kick during Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Leicester City on Saturday, as he told Final Score on BBC Sport.
In the first half, Maddison’s free-kick, on the edge of the penalty area, was seemingly destined for the top corner, only for Arsenal’s number one flyer stopping it from going into the back of the net.
His cat-like reflexes resulted in the shot kissing the top of the crossbar, falling into the path of the on-rushing Jonny Evans, only for Arsenal’s summer signing to once again get his body in the way and prevent the ball from hitting the net.
Ramsdale took the sting out of Evans’ rebound shot as it crept under his body, but the alert Thomas Partey did enough to then clear the ball before it could cross the line.
After the game, the England international rightfully got praise for that moment of magic, but what he did afterwards was equally as impressive, according to Crooks.
“The save was great,” said Crooks. “But what impressed me was the recovery to get to the second ball.
“He makes the first save. Strong hands. Pushes the ball onto the post. It’s coming back into the goal.
“He gets up, there is a Leicester player coming that gets a second bite at it. It’s going under his body. I thought his recovery was fantastic.”
It was a crucial point in the game because Arsenal were leading 2-0, with minutes left on the clock for the half-time break.
If Mikel Arteta’s side conceded at that point, then the home team, even though they are 2-1 down, go into the break with momentum and more belief that they can turn it around in the second half.
But big players step up during big moments and this was Ramsdale’s time to shine bright.
Ever since his big-money move from Sheffield United, he has proven a number of people wrong, as it could be argued that he is the form keeper in the division right now.
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