Aaron Ramsdale breaks down in tears after Arsenal reception in Emirates return
Aaron Ramsdale became emotional after receiving a rapturous reception from Arsenal fans on his return to the Emirates.
The England international signed for Southampton in the summer in a £25million transfer after being ousted from the first-team at Arsenal by David Raya.
Ramsdale had made 89 appearances for the Gunners before he was benched by the Spanish goalkeeper, whose loan from Brentford was made permanent in the transfer window.
But despite his departure, he is still a fan favourite among the Arsenal supporters who appreciated his work-rate and joyful attitude - even after being dropped.
Aaron Ramsdale could not hold back the tears at the Emirates
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The fans present at the Emirates before kick-off on Saturday gave Ramsdale raucous applause as he warmed up as he prepared to face them for the first time as an opponent after his departure.
And the 26-year-old was spotted in tears as he received a standing ovation as the emotions got the better of him.
He used his goalkeeper gloves to wipe away his tears as he sobbed before he composed himself and reciprocated the love from the crowd by applauding them back.
Southampton signed Ramsdale after coming up from the Championship last season as they plot a way to beat the odds and beat the drop this campaign.
But it has not gone to plan yet with the Saints 19th in the Premier League without a win this season.
And they were denied a victory on Saturday despite going a goal up against Arsenal through Cameron Archer in the 53rd minute.
However, that goal only seemed to wake the Gunners up as they took complete control, scoring moments later through Kai Havertz.
Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka made sure of the result with further strikes that saw Arsenal win 3-1 and keep up with Liverpool and Manchester City, who also claimed victories.
Aaron Ramsdale thanked the Emirates crowd
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City also came back from a goal behind to beat Fulham 3-2 with two goals from Mateo Kovacic while Diogo Jota scored the only goal of the game against Crystal Palace to see them stay at the top of the table by a point.
Before kick-off on Saturday, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he was looking forward to seeing Ramsdale again.
"He is a player that we loved a lot, very charismatic and he really put his fingerprints here on the club with the way that he was," Arteta said. "It'll be very good to see him.
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Aaron Ramdale had to wipe away tears on the Emirates pitch
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"I was very grateful for what he did. When we signed there was a lot of noise around him.
"We helped him to create an environment that he needed because we believed in his potential and he showed it. He won the respect and admiration of all of us.
"Then the circumstances changed because this is elite sport and that can happen. It was difficult to deal with that situation in a natural way so we decided to part ways and hopefully he is grateful."