Ilkay Gundogan was City’s hero, scoring twice in the final-day victory over Aston Villa that clinched the title, but, as in previous years, our title triumph was the result of the collective effort of the entire squad.
We will be shining a spotlight on each member of the group in our Champions in focus series, which kicks off Ederson.
Season stats
Total appearances: 49
Total clean sheets: 25
Premier League appearances: 37
Premier League clean sheets: 20
Season’s highlight
For many, Ederson’s most memorable moment came in our 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, when he displayed nerves of steel to delay making a pass on the goal line with Diogo Jota bearing down on him.
His ability with the ball at his feet his rightly garnered plenty of praise. He has had a transformative effect on goalkeeping in the Premier League in that regard, but he is equally as talented in the fundamentals of the position.
The best ‘keepers make saves when it matters most and that was the case when Romelu Lukaku was bearing down on the City goal with the score goalless in January’s meeting with Chelsea at the Etihad.
The Belgian striker was clear of our defence, with enough time to pick his spot, but Ederson showed great awareness to race off his line and narrow the angle before producing a brilliant reflex save.
City went on to take all three points thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s superb strike, but our No. 33 played a pivotal role in helping us claim what felt like a big victory in the context of the title race.
Overview
“The big keepers don’t have many saves to do but when they have to do it, they do it.”
Guardiola’s words following City’s 1-0 win over Wolves in December perfectly encapsulated a strength that makes Ederson so important to this team.
The Brazilian made two key saves in the dying minutes of that game to claim his 100th clean sheet for the Club and it was a recurring theme throughout the campaign.
He did the same against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano, denying the hosts twice in the closing stages as City held on to progress to the Champions League quarter-final and it was a similar story away to Aston Villa and Brentford.
Carney Chukwuemeka’s effort was kept out at Villa Park, whilst against the Bees, Ederson show superb reactions to claw the ball away from danger after Ruben Dias had turned it goalwards.
All of those games ended in City’s favour by a one goal margin, highlighting the valuable contribution of man who kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League.
Reliable, consistent and central to our style of play, the 28-year-old was once again a key figure in our success.
Awards
Ederson’s 20 clean sheets were enough for him to win the Premier League Golden Glove for the third consecutive campaign, this time sharing the honour with international team-mate Alisson.
What they said
“In the way that City play I think that he’s amazing. Ederson’s not only confident with playing the ball out from the back short but he’s got the vision and passing ability to play the ball as long as he wants too.
“Having scouted for the Club and to see, as I do at junior level, all the keepers trying to play out from the back it’s just great to see. It has been transformative.”
Former City goalkeeper, Joe Corrigan, speaking after Ederson reached 100 clean sheets for the Club.
