AARON RAMSDALE has been criticised for ‘lazy’ goalkeeping after letting Diogo Jota beat him at his near post on Wednesday night.
The Arsenal goalkeeper came under fire for his performance in the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Emirates.
With Jota letting fly from a tight angle, the Portuguese star somehow manage to squeeze the ball past Ramsdale at the England stopper’s near post to bag the opener.
The keeper, 23, managed to get his hand to the effort but couldn’t stop Jota from finding the back of the net.
And Arsenal hero Paul Merson blasted Ramsdale as ‘lazy’ for letting the ball sneak past him at the near post.
Merson told Sky Sports: “It is poor defending all round and it’s poor goalkeeping.
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“The goalkeeper gets lazy, he thinks it is going to be a cross. You should never ever get beaten at your near post.”
Ramsdale has impressed since arriving for £30million from Sheffield United in the summer, but will be left ruing his error at the Emirates.
His form has led another Three Lions call-up for the friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast later this month.
But Sky pundit Graeme Souness agreed that Ramsdale was at fault for the goal, saying: “He gets a good hand on it but he is nearly at full stretch, that is how out of position he is. That is poor positioning.”
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And Jamie Carragher added: “That looks for me like a problem. When the ball is struck he is still jumping into the air.
“When he lands he is reacting late and hasn’t got the strength to hold it out with his hand.”
Ramsdale may also have been left disappointed in the circumstances for Liverpool’s second goal of the night.
He went to ground attempting to gather a low Andy Robertson cross, but was beaten to the ball by Roberto Firmino who cleverly diverted it past Ramsdale and into the empty net.
It’s the first time he has come under scrutiny this campaign, with his 12 clean sheets in 23 Premier League appearances before the Liverpool defeat helping Arsenal to fourth in the league table.