Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has won the Premier League Player of the Matchweek award, making it two consecutive weeks that an Arsenal player has claimed the honour.
The Spanish goalkeeper’s performance against Sunderland at the weekend was enough to earn him the public vote, with fans clearly impressed by what they witnessed.
Raya produced what many are calling the save of the weekend, denying Enzo Le Fee from the penalty spot in a moment that proved crucial to the outcome of the match.
The Premier League highlighted Raya’s “outstanding penalty save”, “calming presence”, and “brilliant distribution” as key reasons behind his recognition this week.
He ultimately earned 26% of the popular vote, enough to edge out Hull City’s Mohamed Belloumi, who finished as runner-up with 23% of the total votes cast.
Martin Odegaard had won the same award the previous week, earning 31% of the vote for his starring role against Chelsea, meaning Arsenal have now claimed back-to-back weekly honours.
Raya also earned a place in Alan Shearer’s Premier League Team of the Week, with the former Newcastle United striker selecting him alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa.
The goalkeeper did miss out on recognition from both the BBC and WhoScored Teams of the Week, though the public vote made clear that fans had their own strong opinion on the matter.
This is not the first time Raya has claimed the Player of the Matchweek award, having previously won it back in May when Arsenal kept a clean sheet away at West Ham.
That earlier victory made him the first goalkeeper of the season to win the award, and he has now achieved that same distinction again in the 2026/27 campaign.
