The Premier League this season has seen a number of goalkeepers turn hero as they help their sides go home with all three points. Clean sheets have been few and far in between but the shotstoppers from the top sides have been vital to their position in the league table.
Most saves
After 22 games, it is Stoke City’s 22-year-old English goalkeeper Jack Butland who leads the way with 80 saves so far. It is one of the reasons why the Potters are seventh in the table. At the top of the table are Arsenal and their only summer signing is in second place with 75 saves. Petr Cech was meant to save the Gunners ‘12 to 15 points a season’ according to former Chelsea teammate John Terry and he has done exactly that.
The two goalkeepers were the heroes last Sunday when the Gunners held Stoke to a 0-0 draw at the Britannia. Butland himself was present to give away the Man of the Match award to Cech – two goalkeepers who had the utmost respect for each other despite the rivalry between the two clubs.
Everton’s Tim Howard is also tied for second with 75 saves. After a relatively poor season last time out, the American goalkeeper has come back strong this campaign. The other goalkeepers to have made more than 70 saves are West Ham’s Adrian and Sunderland’s Costel Pantilimon.
| # | Player | Club | Age | Appearances | Minutes | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Butland | Stoke City | 22 | 22 | 1980 | 80 |
| 2 | Petr Cech | Arsenal | 33 | 22 | 1980 | 75 |
| Tim Howard | Everton | 36 | 22 | 1980 | 75 | |
| 4 | Adrián | West Ham United | 29 | 19 | 1709 | 71 |
| 5 | Costel Pantilimon | Sunderland | 28 | 17 | 1530 | 71 |
| 6 | Boaz Myhill | West Bromwich Albion | 33 | 22 | 1980 | 64 |
| 7 | Brad Guzan | Aston Villa | 31 | 20 | 1800 | 64 |
| 8 | Heurelho Gomes | Watford | 34 | 22 | 1957 | 62 |
| 9 | Kasper Schmeichel | Leicester City | 29 | 22 | 1890 | 59 |
| 10 | Lukasz Fabianski | Swansea City | 30 | 22 | 1980 | 58 |
Saves per goal conceded
When we look at the saves per goal conceded ratio, Stoke City’s Butland is ahead of Cech in this aspect too. Both clubs have a similar defensive record with Arsenal having conceded 21 goals while Mark Hughes’s side have conceded 22.
The English goalkeeper has been a revelation this season and is a serious contender to take Hart’s place in the England setup in the future. The two other goalkeepers who have made 3 or more saves per goal conceded are Adrian (West Ham) and Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur).
| # | Player | Team | Appearances | Saves | Saves per Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Butland | Stoke City | 22 | 80 | 3.63 |
| 2 | Petr Cech | Arsenal | 22 | 75 | 3.57 |
| 3 | Adrián | West Ham United | 19 | 71 | 3.22 |
| 4 | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham Hotspur | 21 | 51 | 3 |
| 5 | Joe Hart | Manchester City | 20 | 46 | 2.87 |
| 6 | David de Gea | Manchester United | 18 | 48 | 2.67 |
| 7 | Heurelho Gomes | Watford | 22 | 62 | 2.48 |
| 8 | Tim Howard | Everton | 22 | 75 | 2.34 |
| 9 | Kasper Schmeichel | Leicester City | 22 | 59 | 2.27 |
| 10 | Costel Pantilimon | Sunderland | 17 | 71 | 2.15 |
Clean sheets
But when it comes to clean sheets, Joe Hart and Cech have the same – 10 clean sheets. But the English goalkeeper has made two lesser appearances, with Willy Caballero playing twice this season.
Although Butland has more clean sheets (9) than Manchester United’s David De Gea (8), the Spanish goalkeeper has played lesser games having not started a single match until his transfer to Real Madrid collapsed.
| # | Player | Team | Appearances | Clean Sheets | Clean Sheet % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Hart | Manchester City | 20 | 10 | 50 |
| 2 | Petr Cech | Arsenal | 22 | 10 | 45.4 |
| 3 | David de Gea | Manchester United | 18 | 8 | 44.4 |
| 4 | Jack Butland | Stoke City | 22 | 9 | 40.9 |
| 5 | Wayne Hennessey | Crystal Palace | 16 | 6 | 37.5 |
| 6 | Heurelho Gomes | Watford | 22 | 8 | 36.3 |
| 7 | Maarten Stekelenburg | Southampton | 17 | 6 | 35.2 |
| 8 | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham Hotspur | 21 | 7 | 33.3 |
| 9 | Simon Mignolet | Liverpool | 21 | 7 | 33.3 |
| 10 | Boaz Myhill | West Bromwich Albion | 22 | 7 | 31.8 |
Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League
