Former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale criticised the coverage of Micah Richards and Alan Shearer on Match of the Day following his heroics for Southampton.
The shot-stopper has endured a difficult season since leaving the Emirates Stadium last summer, making the switch to join the Saints in search of more regular football.
Ramsdale suffered relegation with Southampton in early April as their drop from the Premier League was confirmed in record time.
Much of that hasn’t been at the fault of the former Arsenal man, who has shown he is more than capable between the sticks.
Even after a confirmed drop to the second tier, Aaron Ramsdale managed to pull out all the stops for Southampton in a recent encounter.
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Aaron Ramsdale makes double penalty save during Southampton defeat to Aston Villa
While Southampton are condemned to life back in the Championship, they are still fighting to avoid the title of the worst Premier League team in history.
One point will draw them level with the Derby County team of 2007/08, with a tally of 11 points, and there was some hope that there was something to be gained against Aston Villa last time out.
Aaron Ramsdale saved a penalty in the second half to deny the Villains the lead, with the game drifting towards a potential draw.
It didn’t come though as Southampton collapsed, with three goals conceded late on to pile on the misery for the Saints.
Ramsdale did, however, save a second penalty in stoppage time to keep the score down and show his own individual brilliance.
After the match, BBC Match of the Day pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards poured plenty of praise on Aston Villa and the changes they made to switch the game up.
For Ramsdale, though, there was frustration as his double save from the spot didn’t perhaps get the attention it deserved.
According to Richards, on the Rest is Football podcast, the goalkeeper texted him about it, claiming: “I don’t normally bring people’s names into it, because I don’t think it’s right, but I think he has a point on this particular occasion.
“So obviously Villa win 3-0 and he’s saved two pens. My analysis was basically Emery, Villa substitutions, their squad can really impact the game.
“So Watkins comes on, scores. Malen comes on and scores. McGinn comes on and scores… so that is a bigger story because Southampton have had a bad time, I don’t want to do my analysis and dig out Southampton, that’s not what we need to do, they know they’ve had a bad season. Villa have won, let’s leave Southampton alone.
“However, if someone has made two pen saves in a game, I probably should’ve just mentioned it or Al [Alan Shearer].
“Me or Al should’ve said ‘fair play to Ramsdale, he made two penalty saves’, it probably didn’t need an analysis run, but we should’ve mentioned it, but that wasn’t the bigger picture anyway.
“He texted me, I won’t tell you what he texted me on, and let’s just say he wasn’t happy and he told us to basically liven up.”
It’s a moment that will certainly help boost the confidence of Ramsdale ahead of a summer transfer, showing he still has plenty of quality.
Every goalkeeper to make two penalty saves in the same Premier League match
One penalty save can often be rare enough in a game, but two in the same match is even rarer and is part of an exclusive part of the history books.
Ramsdale’s heroics are the tenth time it has happened in the Premier League, joining some of the great goalkeepers in the division.
| Goalkeeper | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Bosnich | 02/03/1994 | Aston Villa vs Tottenham |
| Pavel Smicek | 18/12/1999 | Sheffield Wednesday vs Aston Villa |
| Edwin van der Sar | 02/02/2005 | Fulham vs Aston Villa |
| Brad Friedel | 09/09/2006 | Blackburn vs Sheffield United |
| Jussi Jaaskelainen | 22/10/2006 | Bolton vs Blackburn |
| Heurelho Gomes | 03/04/2010 | Tottenham vs Sunderland |
| Heurelho Gomes | 16/04/2016 | Watford vs West Brom |
| Maarten Stekelenburg | 15/10/2016 | Everton vs Manchester City |
| Tim Krul | 27/10/2019 | Norwich vs Manchester United |
| Aaron Ramsdale | 12/04/2025 | Southampton vs Aston Villa |
It’s the first time in nearly six years that a double penalty save has occurred from a goalkeeper in the Premier League.
It shows that Ramsdale still has plenty of quality, which he can offer to another side during the transfer window.
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