See Where De Gea Ranks Amongst The Only 5 Goal Keepers To Keep More Than 20 Clean Sheets In A Single EPL Season!

Liverpool goal keeper Alisson joined an elite group of Premier League goalkeepers on Friday night when he kept a clean sheet as his side brushed Huddersfield town away effortlessly on Friday night. The Brazilian became only the 5th goalkeeper in the history of the competition to keep 20 clean sheets in a single season.

A feat that David De Gea who is rated as the best goalkeeper in the League has not achieved. Here are the other goalkeepers in the club

Petr Cech (Chelsea)

When Čech arrived at Chelsea, Carlo Cudicini was established as Chelsea’s first choice goalkeeper. Cudicini, however, suffered a pre-season elbow injury that allowed Chelsea manager José Mourinho to promote Čech into the starting spot, where he became the first-choice goalkeeper in his first season.

He kept a clean sheet in his Premier League debut in a 1–0 victory over Manchester United. In March 2005, Čech set a new Premier League record of 1,025 minutes without letting in a goal, though his record has since been broken by Manchester United’s Edwin van der Sar.

Čech finally conceded to Leon McKenzie of Norwich City, after keeping a clean sheet in the league since 12 December 2004 when Thierry Henry scored for Arsenal. Čech was given a special award by the Premier League for the new record, and he was also awarded the Premier League Golden Glove at the end of the 2004–05 season for keeping a record 21 clean sheets in the Premier League. The team, having conceded only 15 league goals in the entire season, also set a new record.

Peter Schmeichel (Manchester United)

Manchester United finished as runners-up in Schmeichel’s first season (also winning the Football League Cup for the first time in the club’s history), but it was on the international stage that Schmeichel enjoyed his biggest success that year. In the Danish national team under new national manager Richard Møller Nielsen, Schmeichel was Denmark’s starting goalkeeper at the Euro 92 tournament which they won.

The Big Dane kept 22 clean sheets in the first season of the Premier League to help Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side win the first Premier League title and helped Manchester United establish their dominance in English football. It was also the first time the club had won England’s top trophy in 26 years. Schmeichel was once again named “The World’s Best Goalkeeper” in 1993

Edwin Van Dar Sar (Manchester United)

Van der Sar signed a one-year extension to his current contract with Manchester United on 12 December 2008, keeping him at the club until at least the end of the 2009–10 season. In January 2009, Van der Sar helped Manchester United set a new club and Premier League record for consecutive clean sheets.

The club’s 5–0 win over West Bromwich Albion meant that they had gone 11 games and 1,032 minutes without conceding a goal, beating the previous record of 10 matches and 1,025 minutes set by Petr Čech in the 2004–05 season. He then broke the overall English league record in the club’s following game four days later, beating the previous record of 1,103 minutes, set by Steve Death of Reading in 1979.

Another clean sheet, against West Ham on 8 February 2009, extended the record to 1,212 minutes, beating the British top-flight record of 1,155 minutes previously set by Aberdeen’s Bobby Clark in 1971. Finally, in 18 February 2009, Van der Sar further extended the record to 1,302 minutes, and in doing so, he broke José María Buljubasich’s single-season world record of 1,289 minutes, set in the Chilean Clausura in 2005.

His clean sheet record ended on 4 March, when he made an error allowing Peter Løvenkrands of Newcastle United to score after 9 minutes. In total, Van der Sar had gone 1,311 minutes without conceding in the league. These clean sheets were a major factor in United clinching their 11th Premiership title as United won a lot of games 1–0 to clinch the title ahead of Liverpool. With a total of 21 clean sheets he also won the Barclays Golden Glove for 2008–09.

Pepe Reina (Liverpool)

The Spanish goal keeper is the only man to have kept 20+ clean sheets in the Premier League in two separate seasons. Reina was signed by Liverpool from Villarreal in July 2005, with manager Rafael Benítez hailing him as “the best goalkeeper in Spain”

The season turned out to be successful for Liverpool as they improved upon the previous year’s league placing and won the FA Cup. It was also a huge success personally for Reina as he made Liverpool records. In December 2005, Reina kept his sixth consecutive clean sheet against Wigan Athletic in the Premier League, to break the Liverpool club record for successive clean sheets in the Premier League.

He surpassed David James’ record of five games, from the 1996–97 season. Reina’s run ended at eight league games, when James Beattie scored for Everton in Liverpool’s 3–1 Merseyside derby win on 28 December 2005.

Reina also broke Liverpool’s clean sheet record in all competitions, with 11 between October and December 2005. Mineiro, of São Paulo, finally scored past him on 18 December 2005, during the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup final.

Reina played every minute of Liverpool’s 2008–09 Premier League season, keeping 20 clean sheets,as the team finished as league runners-up with 86 points. On 22 March 2009, Reina kept his 100th clean sheet for Liverpool in a Premier League match against Aston Villa. During the match, he assisted a goal for Albert Riera with a long pass in Liverpool’s 5–0 win.

David De Gea has made the PFA Team of the Season five times since he made the move to the Premier League eight years ago. However, the Spanish shot stopper has never kept up to 20 clean sheets in a single season. His highest ever is 18 which he kept last season on the way to the Golden Glove.

There is no doubt that the Manchester United man is a fantastic goalkeeper and maybe stats do not mean everything, but do you think he should be doing better?