‘Very good’: Hodgson praises one Arsenal player after Watford loss

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Roy Hodgson has offered some praise of one Arsenal player following Watford’s defeat on Sunday, telling BBC Sport that Aaron Ramsdale produced a very good save during the first-half.

The Gunners moved themselves up to fourth in the Premier League table with a good win at Vicarage Road. With a tough run coming up, it seemed imperative that Mikel Arteta’s side got the three points.

Some of the football they played going forward was outrageous. They scored three brilliant goals. But defensively, there were times when the visitors were exposed and struggled.

It was perhaps a reminder of the work that still lies ahead for Arsenal. But in his post-match summary, Hodgson managed to squeeze in some credit for Ramsdale for making that stop from Emmanuel Dennis.

“They had to defend quite desperately once or twice and there were some good blocks from their defenders,” he told BBC Sport.

“Their goalkeeper made a very good save on one of them, from Dennis, which I thought was going to go in the goal in the first half.

“I don’t know if we’re capable of doing a lot more than what we did today, other than not making crucial errors near your own penalty area.”

Ramsdale producing in the big moments despite not having his best day for Arsenal

Ramsdale had a poor day at times throughout the game. Some of his distribution was not good enough and caused problems for Arsenal at various points during the five-goal thriller.

But the save highlights how he has stepped up in some of the key moments since his arrival at the Emirates in the summer.

Only two goalkeepers in the Premier League boast a better save percentage than Ramsdale, according to FB Ref. Jose Sa leads the way, with Edouard Mendy second on the list.

There is no question that he has been one of the surprises of the season. Few would have expected Bernd Leno to play such a small role in Arsenal’s campaign. But there seems to be no calls for Leno to return to the side.

It was not his best day at the office. But it did not cost Arsenal by any means. And there will certainly be times before the end of the campaign when Ramsdale very much comes to the Gunners’ rescue.