Awards

Pressure on Alisson to claim Golden Glove

20 Feb 2019

Liverpool goalkeeper leads the race for Cadbury award given for most clean sheets but Ederson is catching up

The race to win the Cadbury Golden Glove award is heating up as the Premier League's best goalkeepers battle it out for the most clean sheets in 2018/19.

As the season enters its final third, Alisson is the favourite to become the first Liverpool goalkeeper since Pepe Reina in 2007/08 to lift the award, claimed by David De Gea last season. But the lead Alisson holds is increasingly under threat.

The Brazilian, signed by Liverpool in the summer of 2018, was the early pacesetter, keeping clean sheets in his opening three Premier League matches.

Creaking rearguard

Liverpool's solid defence provided the foundation for Alisson's continued place at the top. Jurgen Klopp's side conceded only two goals in their opening six fixtures and eight in total by the end of December.

However, that air of defensive invincibility has diminished since the turn of the year. In their six matches of 2019, Liverpool have conceded seven times and returned only two shutouts, taking Alisson to 14 in total.

Chasing pack

Alisson's closest challenger has become compatriot Ederson, whose superb form has helped Manchester City to return to the Premier League summit.

Ederson has recorded four blanks in City's last six matches to take his total to 12, halving the gap to Alisson to only two clean sheets, even if he has played one match more.

The City stopper's form took him above Kepa Arrizabalaga in the rankings. The Chelsea goalkeeper is the leading contender to stop the Golden Glove award becoming an all-Brazilian battle with 11 clean sheets.

Advantage Alisson?

But with Ederson and Kepa facing each other in the EFL Cup final this Sunday, Alisson has the chance to open the gap on his rivals again, even if to do so he must become the first goalkeeper to shut out Manchester United in the league under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

And Hugo Lloris, with nine clean sheets, should also not be discounted, since he can edge one closer when Tottenham Hotspur travel to Burnley this weekend.