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It’s kind of wrong, so abnormal and keeping everything before it can derail an entire season’s work. David Roy’s blunder at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a Steven Gerrard slip But, it was as if Spurs took a grateful receipt of the gift and threw it all away A late barrage on the Arsenal goalThere was a fleeting sense that a simple misunderstanding could prove decisive.
If Roy was trying a sand-wedge pass to Thomas’ party Arsenal Didn’t score three goals? Probably not. Would Cristian Romero, the centre-back, have been the man to hold back and score if Spurs hadn’t needed a display of buccaneers to rouse them? That seems particularly unlikely. The tone of the afternoon was transformative but what ultimately mattered in Mikel Arteta’s favor was Roy rediscovering his composure and, in those dying moments, dominating his box to see them home.
“The last few minutes were a bit more shaky for people outside, but for us that’s our job and I really enjoyed that challenge to keep the ball out of the net and help the team as much as possible with the crosses,” the goalkeeper said. Although the out-of-crack of Declan Rice’s role in Ben Davies hardly helped, to some extent Roy worked for himself. But few keepers are better at claiming more balls in the Premier League and as Tottenham delivered their streak, the Spaniard plucked it all from the north London sky.
“Mistakes are part of football and you learn from them,” he said. “I shouldn’t have played that ball, I should have gone a little further. I wanted to control the game a bit more, but it didn’t happen. It showed how good they are at pressing and the scheme was different.
It was certainly an impressive response and Arteta, who embraced Roy after full-time, was visibly appreciative. “He said only about the character I showed after the mistake,” continued Roy. “I thought I was very strong mentally and I forgot the mistake, I just played my game and tried to help the team as much as possible. I think I showed that in the last 20 minutes.
Roy’s early Arsenal performances were pockmarked by uncertainty, perhaps not helped by the skittishness of an Emirates crowd that had fallen in love with Aaron Ramsdale’s charisma. But he is part of the furniture, a calm and imposing presence that has justified Arteta’s long pursuit, and it is not inconceivable that he will step down as his first title-winning No 1 in two decades. Victories against Bournemouth, Manchester United and Everton required more performances of perfection from Manchester City. The tests keep coming and, by and large, Arsenal keep them ticking.
“I like challenges and I don’t feel under pressure,” said Roy, who is well used to a more intense level of focus than he experienced at Blackburn and Brentford. “When things get stressful, I think it’s an opportunity to show what you’re capable of. I’m really enjoying this challenge.”
Arsenal will once again pile the pressure on City this weekend: they host the in-form Cherries on Saturday lunchtime and the series champions will know what they need in their early evening kick-off against Wolves. It’s hard to see the contestants slipping at this stage but Roy chants the mantra that he and his teammates can’t be distracted by events elsewhere.
“We can’t focus on other teams, because you lose your focus on yourself and you don’t start playing the same way,” he said. “You have to focus on yourself and the team, on what you can control. If you focus on things you can’t control, things won’t go well.
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If not for Arsenal’s clearly hyper-focused squad, then for the casual observer, Old Trafford could be the place to make or break them on May 12. It remains a hunting ground, where they often find a way to lose, Win in November 2020 Their only success in the league since 2006.
Seven wins and a draw from their previous eight away games is a good record, though, and emerging unscathed from the trip to Anfield suggests Tottenham and the Etihad are no longer allowing past experiences to affect the present. “It’s a big confidence booster, especially the matches we’ve won away from home,” Roy said of clearing the latest hurdle.
“It shows the character of the team. You have to win matches away from home to push for the title. Maybe, as Roy showed on Sunday, you sometimes have to ride your luck.
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