Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has expressed his pride in becoming the Premier League’s clean sheet record holder. The former Chelsea shot-stopper recorded his 170th league clean sheet in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over AFC Bournemouth on Monday night. The 33-year-old has played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s success this season after being considered as second choice at former club Chelsea under Jose Mourinho.
Honoured to be on top of the list of great goalkeepers: Cech
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Cech's 170 clean sheets have come from 352 appearances for Chelsea and Arsenal, compared to the 572 games it took previous holder and former England goalkeeper David James to claim his long-standing record of 169 shutouts during spells at Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham United, Manchester City and Portsmouth.
| Player | Clean Sheets | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Petr Cech | 170 | 352 |
| David James | 169 | 572 |
| Mark Schwarzer | 151 | 514 |
| David Seaman | 140 | 344 |
| Nigel Martyn | 137 | 372 |
"It's a great personal achievement and I felt really proud at the end of the game," Cech told Arsenal.com.
“If you look at the names in the clean sheet numbers, and you see all those fantastic goalkeepers who had been playing and are still playing in this league, then obviously it is a great achievement to top the list."
“Overall we had a good performance and near the end, in the last five or 10 minutes, I started to check the clock as you start to think, 'Okay, that is the game and you need to see it through and not concede’ and we did well not to,” he added.
Cech is a remarkably gifted goalkeeper: Wenger
After 11 successful years with Chelsea and a glittering career where he won several coveted trophies like the Champions League and the Europa league, Cech moved to rivals Arsenal and has lived up to the expectations so far at the Emirates. He has continued his impressive form, with eight clean sheets from 19 appearances, and has played a key role in helping Arsenal move to the top of the table.
“I think he can be very proud of that because it is a remarkable achievement and people once again don't realise how much commitment is behind that, the focus and consistency in his attitude," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
“On top of that, he is a remarkably gifted goalkeeper. The consistency is the most difficult to achieve for somebody."
Former team-mate Frank Lampard had also congratulated Cech on his achievement and described him as a “fantastic man” and a “fantastic professional”.
