David Raya stood in the corner of the goal, having just saved a penalty. Mateo Retegui – the man whose penalty was saved – licked his lips at the chance to make amends by heading into an empty net.

But suddenly the net wasn’t empty anymore. That’s the story of how Raya pulled off a remarkable double save to deny Atalanta.

“It’s probably one of the best saves I’ve seen in my career. He was incredible,” said manager Mikel Arteta after the goalless Champions League draw in Bergamo.

“Last year he was already very important, but this season he has started exceptionally well. Today he kept us in the game, that’s the reality.”

That was 1,227 expected goals for Italian striker Retegui in the blink of an eye – and no actual goals came.

Actually, he shouldn’t have given Raya a chance on the rebound, because his header ended up back in the middle, where the keeper had made his desperate dive.

Still, it was an incredible save, which can be compared to one of Arsenal’s greatest – that of David Seaman against Sheffield United striker Paul Peschisolido in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final.

“It was just a penalty and I was lucky to do it well,” Raya told TNT Sports afterwards.

“I was unlucky that the rebound went straight to him, but I was quick enough to get up and stop the ball. It’s fantastic to be able to keep a clean sheet and help the team to get at least a point.”

He added: “I feel in a good place now.”

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton said on the BBC Champions League Match of the Day: “It was brilliant the way he got up and went for it again.

“It’s a great save. Retegui should have scored the rebound, but that doesn’t detract from the save.”

These were the only saves Raya had to make all night. In 95 minutes and one second there was nothing to do, with two seconds of action.

“He’s a cat,” said Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini.

“The first save is good, but the rebound is unbelievable. I believe the goalkeeper was crucial.”