Gary Neville rates Man City star higher than Mikel Arteta Arsenal favourite - 'Animal!'

Gary Neville would have Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma above Arsenal's David Raya in the goalkeeping pecking order after praising the Italian's performance at the Emirates Stadium.

Donnarumma has made quite the impact since his late summer move to City from Paris Saint-Germain. The 26-year-old, who was instrumental in PSG's Champions League semi-final success against Arsenal at the end of last season, was at it again as he helped Pep Guardiola's side to a positive result in north London.

Although Donnarumma made just two saves, it was his all-round performance that stood out. He looked dominant when coming out to claim crosses, an imposing figure in his box, confident in his shot-stopping and safe when in possession - all traits that contribute to him being a world-class goalkeeper.

Arsenal managed to find a way past him in the 93rd minute as Gabriel Martinelli scored a last-gasp equaliser to cancel out Erling Haaland's first-half opener. Despite this, Neville was full of praise for the former AC Milan man post-match and even decided to knock down Raya in the process.

Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast, Neville said: "You look at Donnarumma, he's an absolute animal. He's just big. When he comes for it, it makes oncoming attackers think about it, because they know they're going to get a right bash in the head if he comes and hits you.

"For me, I think he’s a fantastic goalkeeper. He’s the type of goalkeeper I’ve always enjoyed. I like Alisson at Liverpool. I like Raya. But I wouldn't pick Raya over Donnarumma, or Alisson, because I love a massive goalkeeper.

"A Peter Schmeichel, an Edwin van der Sar… It makes a massive difference when your goalkeeper is towering above everyone else. But also when they’re very good at what they do. And he’s very good at what he does.

"He makes saves, he dominates his box, he's positive in his actions. He will make some mistakes along the way, and that’s fine -but I think he does the right things. He'd had a big impact already at City."

The draw sees Arsenal move back up to second in the Premier League table, five points behind leaders Liverpool, who have won each of their first five matches this season.

Delivering his assessment of his side's point in his post-match press conference, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta said: "I'm extremely proud of the players and the team.

"That's the overall feeling, and I'm very disappointed with the result."

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