Sunderland's Wilson Isidor during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland and Burnley at the Stadium Of Light in Sunderland, England, on August 24, 2024. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
‘Mainly luck’ – Anthony Patterson’s amusing reaction to Sunderland penalty save against Sheffield United.
The Sunderland goalkeeper saved a penalty against Sheffield United on New Year’s Day
Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson has delivered his verdict on his penalty save against Sheffield United at the Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day.
The Black Cats won the game 2-1 with strikes from Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor split by an own goal from club captain Luke O’Nien. However, with the score 0-0 in the first half, Sunderland conceded a penalty after a shirt pull by the aforementioned O’Nien.
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Patterson, though, was equal to the penalty which was taken by former Sunderland transfer target Kieffer Moore. The homegrown keeper dived to his side and managed to keep the striker out with his legs in what was a crucial moment in the grand scheme of the game.
On the penalty save, Patterson said: “We do our research on the penalty takers and, I’ve sort of dived the right way. I’ve managed to stick a leg out and keep it out, but yeah, that’s what all the research comes to really. We get a sheet before every game of the potential penalty takers and we watch a little bit of the clips and stuff and see if they’ve got any patterns or techniques or anything like that, that gives you an indication of where it’s going to go, but it comes down to luck at the end of the day. You’ve got to make the saves still, but it’s mainly luck.”
“I think it was really important that we got the three points today,” Patterson reflected after the game. “It probably wasn’t the best we could play in possession, but defensively I thought we were really solid and made it really difficult for Sheffield United. Obviously, we were all gutted to concede two late goals against Blackburn and Stoke, but yeah, we showed great character and we all defended really well to protect our lead. It’s been a quick turnaround as well.”
“We knew it was going to be like that over Christmas and we found ways to grind out results and yeah, hopefully, it keeps continuing,” Patterson added when asked about Sunderland’s busy festive schedule over Christmas and New Year. “Sheffield United are up there as well, so it’s nice to be able to beat the teams around us and keep closing the gap on the other two.
