“Should be banned” – Jamie Carragher went off on furious rant during Crystal Palace vs Arsenal bizarre moment.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher went off on a furious rant during Crystal Palace vs Arsenal after being annoyed by a poor pass from goalkeeper David Raya.
The Gunners picked up all three points in what was a good afternoon for Mikel Arteta’s men. On his fifth anniversary as club manager, the Spaniard saw his team smash five goals past the Eagles.
Gabriel Jesus fired in a brace, sandwiching Ismaila Sarr’s equaliser, before goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice sealed the three points. The only blemish on the day was an injury to Bukayo Saka which, worryingly, saw him leave Selhurst Park on crutches.
Carragher Fumes Over Raya Pass vs Palace
“This is the worst pass in football”
Despite the three points and the fine win, not everyone was fully content with the Arsenal performance. At least in the early stages of the game, Carragher took real umbrage with one incident.
With Arsenal leading 1-0, Raya tried to play the ball out from the back. He played it directly forward, straight up the middle of the penalty box towards Thomas Partey. Will Hughes challenged for the ball and nearly tackled it into the net as it, fortunately for the Gunners, drifted out for a goal kick.
This incident lifted the home crowd, however, and moments later Sarr had the ball in the back of the net, making it 1-1. Even before the goal had been scored, Carragher voiced his anger over Raya’s pass. Speaking on Sky Sports, (via Football 365), he went as far as to say that sort of ball should be ‘banned’ from football:
“Goalkeepers should be banned from playing straight balls. They should have to play it out wide, put an angle on it.
“This is the worst pass in football – a goalkeeper who plays a straight pass. The amount of goals you see conceded in the Premier League like this. It has to stop.”
It seems unlikely that any rule makers would ever try and ban this style of football but it’s clear that if Carragher ever ditched punditry for coaching, he would not allow his goalkeepers to play out from the back in such a risky manner.
