Arsenal midfielder Bruno Guimaraes described his first goal for the club as a “beautiful moment” after the Gunners fought hard to win 2-0 against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
In a post-match chat with TNT Sports alongside goalkeeper David Raya, Guimaraes talked about the goal that put Arsenal ahead just two minutes after Raya’s important penalty save. “Well, unbelievable. I feel very good. Everyone knows I have had a difficult start to injuries in a short time, but I’m glad to be back, glad to play, and yes, it’s a beautiful goal, beautiful moment for me and for my family, and I’m very happy,” he said.
The Brazilian, who came to Arsenal from Newcastle United, mentioned that the venue was special to him. “Yeah, a beautiful goal and a very good place. Everyone knows my past; I had an amazing history at Newcastle, but now I’m trying to create a new history here, and I start with the right foot.”
Raya, who was named player of the match, said the timing of the goal was crucial in a tough game. “What a goal, what a goal, and especially at the time that he scored. Coming to this place, it’s so, so, so difficult. They make it very, very difficult for us, a big, big battle, very physical, but I think we dealt with everything very, very well.
“We defended very well; we know how good they are in the set-pieces and everything, but at the end of the day, we got the three points, which is the most important thing.”
Just 121 seconds before Guimaraes’ goal, Raya had stopped Sunderland’s penalty. The Spaniard, who did not face any penalties in the Premier League last season, said of the save, “You know, we keep that for ourselves, but it’s a big moment, trying to especially Nel-Nel away from home, and they were a little bit on top of us.
“I think that save made the players and the team to have that faith, keep going and win the game, which we did, and two minutes later we scored the goal.”
He added, “Wonderful goal from Bruno, but even if we conceded that goal, we had that faith to get back into the game. So, obviously, it’s important to keep the clean sheet, because that helps us to win games, and it’s important to save the penalty as well.”
Guimaraes praised Raya’s overall performance, including his late saves. “Yeah, definitely, very good save. He kept us alive in the game, an unbelievable moment to save a penalty, and I think after this moment, we want a big confidence to play forward, and we scored a goal, and everything for this guy, he’s an unbelievable player.”
When asked if Raya is the best goalkeeper in the world, Guimaraes agreed that it was a great contribution. When Raya received the player-of-the-match award, Guimaraes gave it to him as they shared some light moments. “David, you’re the player of the match,” Guimaraes said, and Raya replied, “Thank you, thank you.”
The tough 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light, marked by Guimaraes’ first Arsenal goal right after Raya’s key penalty save, showed the Gunners’ strength and kept them at the top of the Premier League with a perfect start to the season as they continue to defend their title.
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