{"id":1305,"date":"2026-05-12T17:52:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/?p=1305"},"modified":"2026-05-12T17:52:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:52:40","slug":"raya-donnarumma-denied-premier-league-save-of-the-season-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/?p=1305","title":{"rendered":"Raya, Donnarumma denied Premier League save of the season award"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div><!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p>Among some huge stops at pivotal moments this season, there is a new leading contender for save of the season\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>We\u2019ve seen some awful football in the Premier League this season<\/strong>but amid the dross, there have been some moments of shot-stopping genius.<\/p>\n<p>Not just incredible acts of cat-ery, but at massive moments too.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve whittled down all the brilliant saves in the Premier League this season to the top six, the context of all of them amplifying the quality\u2026<\/p>\n<h2>6) Aaron Ramsdale \u2013 Newcastle 2-1 Man Utd<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The scene:<\/strong> 89th minute at St James\u2019 Park with Newcastle, on a wretched run and down to 10 men, finally under sustained pressure with Manchester United seeking a winner. Ramsdale, in the Toon side for a rare Premier League appearance and given the chance to displace Nick Pope as Newcastle\u2019s No.1, has already made one very fine save to keep out Leny Yoro\u2019s close-range header.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The save: <\/strong>Joshua Zirkzee picked the ball up 30 yards from goal and thought \u2018f*** it\u2019. His shot, carrying little spin on a haphazard flight path makes any big, early movement from Ramsdale a risk. His only option: to wait to pick up the flight before shifting late and fast. With precision timing, the Newcastle keeper micro-steps into take-off, thrusting his closest hand while arching slightly back, not only to get a full hand behind the ball but to divert it off its dangerous course.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The consequence:<\/strong> Newcastle defend the corner <strong>then send William Osula away on the break to score a winning goal<\/strong> to match the save that gave the Magpies the stage to secure an unlikely and much-needed win.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The reaction:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s an unbelievable save. It looks even better on TV than it did live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Eddie Howe<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p>Aaron Ramsdale with a heroic goalkeeping performance for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NUFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NUFC<\/a> &#x1f4ab; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D0qPUW0jEo\">pic.twitter.com\/D0qPUW0jEo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Premier League (@premierleague) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/premierleague\/status\/2029482048851693836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><smartframe-embed customer-id=\"84d65181a95c24c4fea73e44b4e27a17\" image-id=\"ltKDgoMzDGay\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 100%;\"\/><\/p>\n<h2>5) Martin Dubravka \u2013 Wolves 2-3 Burnley<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The scene: <\/strong>Molineux, the clocks have just gone back, and Wolves are still without a win against a Burnley side in dire need of points against their relegation rivals. The Clarets have just scored in the 95th minute to go 3-2 up for what could be a massive win. Wolves kick off and immediately pile forward\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>The save: <\/strong>The hosts hoik the ball into the box, with Jorgen Strand Larsen\u2019s delightful touch teeing up Santiago Bueno 12 yards out, to the right of goal. His left-foot shot, knee over the ball, could not really be hit sweeter. It\u2019s arrowing inside the near post. The old cliche doesn\u2019t apply here \u2013 Dubravka had little to no right to reach it. Contorting his closest leg \u2013 neither sweeping it nor stepping with it \u2013 the Slovakian thrusts down a left hand, not only to keep it out but to kill it, preventing any rebound.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The consequence: <\/strong>The reaction of his team-mates closest to the scene highlight the quality and importance of the save. It got Burnley over the line, keeping Wolves winless while the Clarets climbed to 16th with five points\u2019 breathing space between themselves and the bottom three, an advantage they quickly chucked away.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The reaction:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIncredible. It felt like time stopped. I think it felt like it for all of us. Obviously, at that moment, we score and they\u2019re going to hit it into an area. It falls to the boy and yeah, deep breath moment and you always judge keepers in big, big moments, they pull off big saves in big moments. It was an incredible save and he\u2019s been absolutely first-class for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Scott Parker<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ALL ANGLES: D\u00fabravka&amp;apos;s Incredible Save Against Wolves! \ud83e\udd2f | Premier League Save of the Month October\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2jnYWe-8Nxo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<h2>4) Gianluigi Donnarumma \u2013 Liverpool 1-2 Man City<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The scene:<\/strong> Anfield, the ninth minute of seven initially added is about to tick over with City having just gone 2-1 up amid <strong>a frankly ridiculous finale<\/strong>. Liverpool have chucked Virgil van Dijk forward\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>The save: <\/strong>Van Dijk beats Erling Haaland to Ryan Gravenberch\u2019s hit and hope, the ball falling to Alexis Mac Allister. He chests it down and, on the bounce, volleys towards goal. It might not have bothered Donnarumma quite so much had Ruben Dias not turned his back to the shot, the massive coward. The deflection propels a loopy ball towards Donnarumma\u2019s right corner, forcing the big Italian to seek more depth before loading up the right leg and pushing off, all in the blink of an eye. Arching his massive frame, he gets a big paw behind the ball, parrying it harmlessly into the Kop.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The consequence:<\/strong> City, who trailed with 83 minutes gone, see out the win, amid some even-later VAR nonsense, to keep the title race alive. They go to within six points of Arsenal while Pep Guardiola pats himself on the back for taking the chance to <strong>buy Donnarumma when he had the chance, even if he had James Trafford <em>right there<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The reaction<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI saw that it was a deflection and I said, \u2018Goal\u2019. My first reaction was goal. And after, sometimes when you are lucky, the mum and dad make you so big and so huge, you can make that save. I think he can make that save because he\u2019s so big, or you have incredible pace in your energy in jumping.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Pep Guardiola<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p>&#x1f9e4; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/donnarumma?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@donnarumma<\/a>\u2018s stunning stop against Liverpool has been nominated for the February <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/premierleague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@premierleague<\/a> Save of the Month &#x1f6e1;&#xfe0f;<\/p>\n<p>Vote for him here &#x1f5f3;&#xfe0f; https:\/\/t.co\/MfQRQdnlKW <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XE0IUu5q5k\">pic.twitter.com\/XE0IUu5q5k<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Manchester City (@ManCity) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ManCity\/status\/2029558318297997645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>3) David Raya \u2013 Arsenal 2-1 Brighton<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The scene: <\/strong>Into the final 15 minutes at the Emirates, in the no-man\u2019s-land between Christmas and New Year, with Arsenal hanging on against a Brighton side who just won\u2019t die.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The save:<\/strong> In <strong>a rare outbreak of football at the Emirates<\/strong>Brighton\u2019s neat build up tees up Yankuba Minteh to the right of the box. Raya moves left into line and sets as Minteh goes to curl one into the far corner. The Brighton winger\u2019s execution is faultless, giving Raya no time for a power step into his dive. Instead, the Spain keeper pushes off his outside foot, while the closest foot to the ball comes in to the line of his body to provide extra ascent. A decision: top hand or closest? Raya opts to lead with the right paw, meaning he can get underneath the ball to guide it above the bar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The consequence: <\/strong>Arsenal hold firm to reclaim top spot after City had edged ahead earlier in the day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The reaction:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt was sensational. I had a great angle on it. That\u2019s what we need from players, we need those performances in the key moments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Mikel Arteta<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"RIDICULOUSLY GOOD DAVID RAYA SAVE!\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BOSMtv-dQgI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<h2>2) Jordan Pickford \u2013 Newcastle 2-3 Everton<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The scene: <\/strong>Added time at St James\u2019 Park and Newcastle are trailing 3-2 in a game between two sides in need of points and an uplift\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>The save: <\/strong>Michael Keane gets decent height and distance on his defensive header, clearing the box but landing in a central area on the edge of the D. Suddenly, Sandro Tonali bursts into shot and strikes a volley as sweet as can be. Even if it\u2019s straight at your average keeper, the pace either beats him or buries him in the net, but it\u2019s rocketing to Pickford\u2019s right. He sets late as the ball drops on Tonali\u2019s laces and instinctively pushes off. The power on the ball ought to take Pickford\u2019s hand off at the wrist but, somehow, the England No.1 gets enough behind it to push it up, on to the bar, and into the disbelieving Gallowgate End.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The consequence: <\/strong>Being denied at the death is tough enough for Toon to take, but the sight of Pickford flexing before their favourite Mackem makes off with three points boils all the p*ss on Tyneside.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The reaction:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c<strong>The best save I\u2019ve ever seen<\/strong>I don\u2019t know how he\u2019s pulled it off. We know how much of a top goalkeeper he is. When he does things like that it\u2019s magic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Jarrad Branthwaite<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F752273287748307%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0\" width=\"267\" height=\"476\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>1) Antonin Kinsky \u2013 Tottenham 1-1 Leeds<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The scene:<\/strong> Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 98th minute, Spurs are pushing for a huge winner, all the while their fans fear the concession of another goal to Leeds and the p*ssing away of at least one vital point in the relegation battle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The save:<\/strong> Sean Longstaff passes wide to James Justin and continues his burst into the box, the ball returned to the Leeds midfielder through the legs of Kevin Danso. Longstaff is at the corner of the six-yard box by the time he plants his right foot to shoot with his left. Kinsky has already made one big decision: to hold, not rush. Some keepers might have sought to close down Longstaff to make the goal behind him seem smaller, but doing so would cut reaction time. And Kinsky seems to recognise that Micky van de Van is getting across to at least partially cover the far post.<\/p>\n<p>So the Spurs keeper holds \u2013 not as easy as it sounds, especially amid the frantic high stakes \u2013 and sets. That\u2019s important too. He doesn\u2019t get too low, nor does he bank on a block being enough, as too many keepers do now. Forwards have sussed that, and often now go high inside the near post, which Longstaff attempts. Kinsky, though, stays up and not only gets a right hand on the ball \u2013 miraculous in itself \u2013 but enough force behind it to divert up and on to the bar. Which enhances even more the aesthetic of a brilliant, crucial save.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The consequence:<\/strong> Spurs don\u2019t lose, nor does their fragile morale take an enormous hit before they go to Chelsea next week, one point better off than they would have been in a relegation battle that threatens to go to the wire.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The reaction:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThat save is one of the saves of the season. Football is an absolute rollercoaster and who would have thought he would ever play for Tottenham again \u2013 and then he does that. You would have to have a heart of stone if you weren\u2019t delighted for him. Everyone thought his career was over but that save can be the moment that keeps Tottenham in the Premier League.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Jamie Carragher<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>What a save from Kinsky?! &#x1f92f; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/H2EelIT1L9\">pic.twitter.com\/H2EelIT1L9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SkySportsPL\/status\/2053943844559814980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><!-- Article End --><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script>\n        !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n        {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n        n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n        if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n        n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n        t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);\n        s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n        'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n        fbq('init', '1399787394855675');\n        fbq('track', 'PageView');\n    <\/script><script>\n        !function(e,n,t){var o=e.getElementsByTagName(n)(0);e.getElementById\n    <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Among some huge stops at pivotal moments this season, there is a new leading contender for save of the season\u2026 We\u2019ve seen some awful football [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}