Champions League: Havertz and Raya star in win for Arsenal

Substitute Havertz scores late goal to give the Gunners the advantage against Sporting David Coverdale reviews Tuesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, first-leg tie featuring Arsenal. Sporting 0-1 Arsenal David Raya was Arsenal’s saviour once again, producing a series of phenomenal saves before they stole all three points against Sporting Lisbon with a stoppage-time winner.The result puts Arsenal in pole position in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final and steadied rising nerves after a night in which Sporting dominated for long stretches, losing for the first time at home in 17 games to Kai Havertz’s late goal.Nobody could have known in the sixth minute how decisive Raya’s first major intervention would prove to be.Ousmane Diomande’s outside-of-the-boot long pass caught out the Arsenal defence and Maxi Araujo struck a first-time shot well, but Raya’s fingertips diverted the ball onto the underside of the crossbar and it bounced back out. Raya's saves turn the tide for Arsenal The Arsenal goalkeeper has conceded only 12 Champions League goals since the start of last season and statisticians Opta estimate he has prevented more goals from key shots than any other goalkeeper in that period. For a side bruised by an FA Cup defeat to Southampton at the weekend, following the EFL Cup final to Manchester City before the international break, it was a crucial intervention.“This was a big turnaround for us,” Havertz told Amazon Prime. “We lost the last two matches. We wanted to get a turnaround today and we made that happen. We stick together as a group and there’s so much more to come this season.”Raya has made a string of incredible saves at vital moments throughout the season as he cements his status as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.After he pushed a curling cross from Alejandro Garnacho around the post in stoppage time to preserve a lead against Chelsea last month Mikel Arteta admitted: “My heart almost stopped, but David’s hand was there to bring it back to life.”In December, he was at full stretch to tip Brighton & Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh’s powerful shot over the bar, which maintained a 2-1 lead and won him the Coca-Cola Save of the Month award. Arteta's substitutes prove vital Equally important in this game was Arsenal’s ability to withstand the early Sporting storm. The Portuguese side’s four shots in the opening 10 minutes were the most Arsenal have faced in that period of any game this season.Perhaps the most telling sign of how tough a first half it was for Arsenal was that Martin Odegaard’s shot in the 43rd minute was their only shot on target. Arteta started urging his players to press with more intensity.There were flashes of threat from Arsenal. Noni Madueke struck the crossbar direct from a corner with a whipped delivery, while in the second half Odegaard troubled Rui Silva with a dipping free kick that the Sporting goalkeeper tipped over.But Sporting had the edge for most of the match and Raya was called upon again to make another sharp stop in the 83rd minute to turn a header around his near post. Arteta’s substitutions proved decisive. Kai Havertz entered on 70 minutes. Max Dowman arrived six minutes later, becoming the youngest English player – at 16 years and 97 days – to appear in a Champions League final. He was joined by Gabriel Martinelli. It looks as though Arsenal would take a well-earned point back to Emirates Stadium until substitutes combined. Martinelli played a sensational ball into the box and Havertz controlled it before calmly slotting past Silva.See: Arsenal report