'It shows they're together': Chris Sutton defends Ramsdale for applauding Raya

Chris Sutton has leapt to the defence of Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale after he was mocked by Jamie Carragher for applauding his goalkeeping rival David Raya during the north London derby.

After starting the season as Arsenal's No 1, Ramsdale has lost his place in the side to Raya and the Spanish shot-stopper proved his quality by pulling off a remarkable diving save to deny Tottenham's Brennan Johnson in the first half of Sunday's match.

The cameras quickly panned around to focus on Ramsdale's reaction on the bench, and the England international was seen clapping enthusiastically with his hands above his head.

Sky Sports pundit Carragher was asked for his thoughts on Ramsdale's antics, and suggested the reserve goalkeeper was not actually happy for Raya.

'I thought it was like the Oscars, you know when someone loses the Oscar and they start clapping and smiling for the other person,' Carragher said.

'I was laughing when I saw that. He's absolutely devastated with that really.'

But Mail Sport columnist Sutton sees things differently, and believes Ramsdale's behaviour was proof of the unity within the squad at Arsenal.

Speaking on Mail Sport's 'It's All Kicking Off' podcast, Sutton told host Ian Ladyman: 'I actually thought was a good moment for Ramsdale and Arsenal just to show they're together.

They're two good goalkeepers, it's competitive. He may have felt sick while he's doing it, but I thought it was a good thing for football fans across the world to see. A guy who's devastated he's out of the team but just saying "Do you know what? I respect the save that he made". That's OK, isn't it?'

Ladyman responded by asking Sutton what his reaction would have been if during his playing days as a striker he'd been replaced by someone who scored a 'worldie' of a goal.

Sutton replied: 'Well, I'm probably not going to play the next game! But you can still applaud brilliance, can't you?'

'But do you mean it?' Ladyman asked.

Slightly hesitantly, Sutton said: 'Yes, but you can still applaud the action and that moment and say "Well done, that's brilliant", and be sick for yourself. It doesn't have to be one or the other this, does it?'

When pressed on the difficulty of putting the team above your own career, Sutton praised Ramsdale for the way he has handled himself since being dropped.

'I think you have to be big enough to separate both, and I think Ramsdale did that really, really well. Had he sat there glum-faced there would have been the scrutiny "Oh look, Raya's made a brilliant save and Ramsdale's not happy for him. They hate each other".'

Sutton is not the only one to disagree with Carragher's comments on Ramsdale, with the player's dad Nick hitting back at the ex-Liverpool defender on social media on Sunday evening.

'You are a Disgrace!! Show some class!! My lad has,' Nick wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Ramsdale has not started any of Arsenal's last three matches after being displaced by Raya, and rival clubs Chelsea and Bayern Munich are keeping a close eye on his situation at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta's decision to drop the 25-year-old has divided opinion, with Carragher backing the call last week as he insisted the Gunners would never win the title with Ramsdale in goal.

But former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno claimed the decision to make a switch in the opening weeks of the season is 'very strange', while presenter and Arsenal super fan Piers Morgan believes Raya is 'not a massive upgrade' on Ramsdale and feels being demoted to the bench has humiliated the England star.

Arteta admitted leaving Ramsdale out has left him feeling sick, but appears to have decided that Raya is his new No 1 for now. Raya has started well in between the sticks at his new club following his summer loan move from Brentford, keeping two clean sheets and then pulling off a stunning stop against Spurs.

Ramsdale could get the chance to stake his claim for more game time when Arsenal return to action on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup at Brentford, but will likely need a special performance to make Arteta reconsider his stance on the goalkeeping position at the club.