Forster apologises to Saints teammates after Palace howler

Southampton stopper Fraser Forster apologised to his teammates after his uncharacteristic error led to Christian Benteke opening the scoring in their defeat to Crystal Palace.

The England goalkeeper attempted to clear just after the half-hour mark, but with the ball rolling across his body it clipped his right foot before attempting to kick with his left, gifting the opportunity to Benteke.

The Palace striker gratefully accepted the invitation and gave the Eagles a lead they would not give up all game.

Defeat was Southampton’s first in the Premier League in almost a month, and the 6ft 7in custodian is hoping the Saints can bounce back in their Europa League tie against Hapoel Be’er Sheva, on Thursday.

Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images

“It was on a plate for Christian,” said Forster.

“It happens as a keeper and you’ve just got to take it and move on. It’s not my first mistake, it won’t be my last, and it’s just disappointing because then we don’t really recover, and to concede the second goal so quickly after that made it a big job for us to come back.

“I’ve just apologised to my teammates for making that mistake, but it’s one of those things. We’ll pick our heads up and move on, as we’ve got a massive game on Thursday.”