Aaron Ramsdale’s first clean sheet in 12 months underlined his importance to Southampton’s chances of survival.
One of many stunning saves was an acrobatic leap to clear Jesper Lindstrom’s free kick.
“I said to him, ‘You’ve got long fingers’ and he just smiled,” the Everton man revealed. “He played a good game, I’m furious.”
Ramsdale left Arsenal for a relegation scrap last summer after losing his place to David Raya. His last shutout came against Brentford in November 2023.
His inspired performance on Saturday – turning Michael Keane’s header onto the post and tipping over Orel Mangala’s piledriver – lifted the Saints off the bottom with their first Premier League win, with Adam Armstrong scoring in the 85th minute.
Aaron Ramsdale’s first clean sheet in 12 months underlined his importance to Southampton
Ramsdale made a number of big saves as the Saints won their first league game of the season
“It’s the standards I hold myself to,” the England goalkeeper said. “It was the real Aaron Ramsdale that Saints fans saw. We had to dig deep as a team and bring it together.
“When Keane’s header came from my hand, I’m grateful it didn’t hit me on the head or arm. He bounced off the post a few times, sat on Keane’s lap and I just poked him around.”
Next weekend Saints go to Wolves, the only team now below them, and boss Russell Martin is happy with Ramsdale.
“He’s huge as a character. Good voice, trains well, always adds value, but in a very nice way,” he said.
The end of Everton’s five-match unbeaten run was confirmed when Beto hit the crossbar 27 seconds before Armstrong’s goal and had an effort ruled out by VAR.
‘That is the Eredivisie. If you’re not ready every second, the other team can score,” said Lindstrom, who put in his best performance since joining on loan from Napoli.