David Raya’s Save of the Season Contender Against Brighton

David Raya’s flying fingertip stop against Brighton & Hove Albion has earned him a place on the shortlist for the Premier League’s Save of the Season award, capping a campaign in which he has already walked away with the Golden Glove.

The moment in question came in December, in a tight 2-1 home win over the Seagulls. Brighton were pushing, the game finely balanced, when Yankubah Minteh shaped a curling effort towards the top left corner. It looked made for the highlights reel. Raya tore across his goal, launched himself full stretch to his right and, with his right hand at full extension, just managed to flick the ball away.

That touch was enough to win December’s Save of the Month award and, with it, move him joint top of the all-time Premier League leaderboard for that honour. He now sits alongside Andre Onana and Jordan Pickford on three monthly awards each, a trio that underlines the elite company he keeps.

Now comes the season’s big one. Raya’s Brighton stop will be measured against a strong field in the Save of the Season race, with James Trafford and Gianluigi Donnarumma representing Manchester City, Martin Dubravka nominated for Burnley, Pickford again for Everton, Alphonse Areola for West Ham United, Aaron Ramsdale for Newcastle United, Karl Darlow for Leeds United and Antonin Kinsky for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Golden Glove is already his. If the voters side with the acrobatics that denied Minteh, this could be the year Raya adds another individual crown to a growing personal collection.