In the game of football, having a good goalkeeper is always considered a plus for any team.
Keepers play an integral part in the game and if your side can have one who is good in penalties, then you can at least be assured of grabbing a few accolades in competitions that would need a penalty shootout to win.
In the weekend, Watford’s Ben Forster clocked an impressive new milestone, following his penalty save to deny Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. While they went on to lose, it was another exemplary outing for the Englishman who has been in the Premier League for some time now.
With the save, Forster became the joint-record holder for most spot-kicks saved in the Premier League era but who are the others with a good penalty record?
The former Bolton Wanderers man Jussi Jaaskelainen also holds the acclaim of being one of just seven ‘keepers to have made two penalty saves in a single Premier League game, having done so against Blackburn Rovers back in October 2006.
The 46-year-old spent 15 years with the Trotters after his arrival in 1997, before enjoying a three-year stint at West Ham and a two-year spell with Wigan. His lengthy spell in English football saw him make 436 Premier League appearances, while he is 14th on the all-time list for clean sheets, having registered 108 shutouts.
Howard featured for Manchester United and Everton FC in the Premier League in an impressive 13-year stint.
It was at Everton that he made his mark after making 354 league appearances for the Toffees. His time at the club also saw him save two penalties in an FA Cup semi-final shootout win over former club United in 2009, while in the league he notably saved a Jermain Defoe spot-kick in stoppage time to clinch a point against Tottenham in the 2009/10 season.
Fabianski has spent the last 15 years in the Premier League, having originally joined Arsenal in 2007 from Polish side Legia Warsaw.
While he made vital shoot-out saves in the FA Cup semi-final victory over Wigan Athletic in 2014, his first Premier League penalty stop didn’t come until his move to Swansea City, as he denied Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez in a 2-1 defeat in August 2016.
Since that spot-kick, no ‘keeper has made more penalty saves in the division, with three of his seven Premier League spot-kick saves having come since his move to the London Stadium in 2018.
While a lot has been said about his errors, Hart was one of the finest keepers during his spell at Man City where he won the Golden Glove award four times in the space of just five seasons between 2010 and 2015.
The England international played an integral role in the club’s league title triumphs in both 2012 and 2014, before the arrival of Pep Guardiola spelled the end for his time in Manchester in 2016. His most recent Premier League penalty save came the colors of West Ham in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in September 2018.
While prone to the odd error and inconsistent display, Mignolet had an excellent penalty-saving record during his time with Liverpool. He kept out eight spot-kicks across all competitions in his six-year spell with the club.
One of three goalkeepers to have made nine penalty saves in the Premier League era. The Englishman emerged onto the scene with Norwich City in 1998, before calling it quits after a solitary season at Chelsea in 2019.
His memorable moments came with West Ham United, where he saved seven of his nine spot-kicks, including from Cristiano Ronaldo in a 2-1 win over Manchester United in December 2007. He also made two further penalty saves after moving to Queens Park Rangers in 2012, notably denying Steven Gerrard in a 2-1 defeat, having also previously denied his former international colleague in a 3-0 loss while with the Hammers.
Gomes is one of just seven ‘keeper’s to have saved two penalties in a single Premier League game, with the Brazilian having actually gone one better by achieving the feat on two occasions.
He saved twice from Darren Bent in a defeat to Sunderland in 2010, albeit with the striker having already dispatched a penalty earlier in the game.
Gomes then repeated the trick while at Watford in April 2016, helping the Hornets to a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion after twice saving from Saido Berahino.
Forster began his professional career at Stoke City, before making a move to Manchester United in 2005. While he was a part-time keeper at Old Trafford, he made a mark in Cup games each time he was called upon with his finest moment for the club were coming in the League Cup final victory over Spurs in 2009 in which he saved from Jamie O’Hara in the shootout.
He would, however, never make a penalty stop in the league while with United, with the majority of his spot-kick saves coming during his time at West Brom and during his two spells at Watford.
