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David de Gea 2nd in 10 PL players with the most errors leading to goals since 2018

Nestor Watach •

There can be little more embarrassing for a Premier League footballer than an error that leads directly to an opposition goal – and these 10 players have been made to blush on more than one occasion. 

With numerous camera angles, 24/7 punditry and groups of screaming hyenas on social media, any player making a potentially match-defining mistake is sure to be placed under heavy scrutiny.

Using statistics from the Premier League website, we’ve looked at the 10 players who’ve made the most mistakes leading to opposition goals in the English top-flight over the past five seasons.

=10. Tim Krul – 5

It’s some going to feature in this list while only featuring in two of the last five seasons. Unsurprisingly, Norwich suffered miserable relegations in each of those campaigns, with the veteran Dutch ‘keeper committing a league-high four in the 2021-22 season.

=10. Ederson – 5

Man City’s goalkeeper is on track to lift a fifth Premier League title in the last six seasons, so he must be doing something right.

Pep Guardiola seems pretty satisfied to stomach one costly error a season for what the Brazilian gives City in building out from the back and proactively sweeping up. And that’s fair enough.

8. Illan Meslier – 6

One of Sam Allardyce’s first acts as Leeds United manager was to drop Meslier, who appeared to suffer a crisis of confidence as the Whites suffered a record-breaking number of goals in a calendar month in April 2023.

The 23-year-old French ‘keeper already has over 100 appearances under his belt for Leeds and has made some spectacular saves, but he’s made three errors directly leading to goals in 2022-23 and a spell out of the firing line is probably for the best.

7. Alisson – 7

Alisson has undoubtedly been one of Liverpool’s best players during recent years. The Liverpool shot-stopper has saved his side on numerous occasions in the past and helped transform the Reds backline into an intimidating force – and has arguably been at his very best amid their defensive struggles this season, with zero errors in 2022-23 so far.

But since 2018, Alisson has made two more goal-costing errors than his Brazilian counterpart Ederson, each one causing Jurgen Klopp to gurn angrily on the touchline.

6. Bernd Leno – 8

Arsenal’s replacement of Cech in the summer of 2018 went about as well as Unai Emery’s time in charge at the Emirates.

Although Leno’s career in England began well, a combination of lost confidence and playing behind a shambolic defence saw the number of errors begin to creep up. He was replaced by Aaron Ramsdale in the starting XI for the 2021-22 season.

“It was a setback and a bitter moment. But that’s sport, you have to accept that. It wasn’t easy, but I couldn’t feel sorry for myself, I wanted to attack again immediately,’ Leno said in an interview with SPOX and GOAL in April 2022.

“I don’t want to say I was a pawn, but when the results aren’t right, sometimes things happen quickly in football. The coach wanted to set a new impulse – and then the results came.

“That was bitter for me, because I had held up well before that.”

Leno has rebilitated his reputation somewhat since moving to newly-promoted Fulham. He’s been excellent for Marco Silva’s surprise package and is yet to make an error leading directly to a goal this season.

READ: Ranking every 22-23 Premier League goalkeeper by how crazy they are

5. Ben Foster – 7

Foster hung up his gloves last summer – before being coaxed out of retirement to play a role in Wrexham’s Hollywood story – but errors began to creep into his game during his latter years.

=4. Martin Dubravka – 9

After joining Newcastle United in January 2018, Dubravka became one of their steadiest performers and won the club’s Player of the Year award in 2019-20.

He was largely brilliant for the Magpies but his solid reputation was punctuated by the odd howler, leading to him being usurped by Nick Pope.

=4. Hugo Lloris – 9

Lloris has been a wonderful servant for Tottenham Hotspur over the past decade, keeping goal with distinction during the best period of their modern history.

But the World Cup winner has still made nine errors that led to opposition goals in the Premier League over the past five years, including four in 2022-23 – the most of any player in the English top flight this season. Time to move on?

2. David de Gea – 11

De Gea has been one of United’s standout performers during a miserable time in their history but the goalkeeper has made some pretty big howlers over the past five years.

Following a tricky start to his Manchester United career, the goalkeeper went on to establish himself as one of the best in the world, winning the club’s Player of the Year award four times.

“Individual mistakes are a part of football and as a team you have to deal with it and you have to bounce back because it’s a team sport,” Erik ten Hag told reporters following De Gea’s costly error in their 1-0 defeat to West Ham.

“Over the season he’s the one with the most clean sheets (15) – we did it as a team – and that can happen, it’s part of football but everyone has to take responsibility.”

The Spanish goalkeeper is out of contract at Old Trafford this summer but Ten Hag has stated his intention to renew his contract.

READ: The £35million on wages Manchester United can save this summer

1. Jordan Pickford – 13

As he’s shown for England over the years, Pickford is capable of making some astonishing saves and his energy between the sticks appears infectious.

But he’s made 13 errors leading to goals since 2018, including that mistake for Divock Origi’s winner in the Merseyside derby in December 2018.

“Everyone hates you, for some reason, that’s part of being an England player,” Pickford told the BBC in February 2020.

“I think the press and everybody, the punters – look at Gary Neville – they just want to come for England players.

“You have got to live with it, you have got to learn. I know what I am capable of and I know what I am good at.”

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