Toffees’ Stekelenburg puts penalty saves down to luck

Everton’s penalty hero Maarten Stekelenburg claims there is no secret to saving spot kicks, but admits his height lends him a helping hand.

The big Dutchman – 6ft 6in to be precise – denied both Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero from the spot in Everton’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Saturday.

But Stekelenburg, whose heroics kept Everton in the Premier League’s top six – said the saves were more to do with luck, than judgement.

“I don’t think there’s really a secret to saving them. You just have to wait as long as possible and then go for the corner with 100 per cent. And then you need a little bit of luck as well,” said the 34-year-old.

“I’m always confident that if I pick the right corner I can make a save. I’m quite big so they have to be perfectly taken to beat me in that corner.

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

“It was a great shot from De Bruyne in the second half as well, with a lot of pace on it. It drifted away from me and I just got my fingertips to it. I think it was a good save.”

And the custodian admitted he had never experience a game quite like it.

“I’ve had busy afternoons but none like this,” he added. “It doesn’t happen a lot. I’ve saved some penalties but never two in a game.”