Check out Australian stopper Mat Ryan’s remarkable save against Southampton from the 2019-20 Premier League season.
The 2 times A-League Young Footballer of the Year made his name between the sticks for Central Coast Mariners before deciding to test himself abroad with Club Brugge where he won the Belgian in 2015. That same year, Ryan helped Australia lift the AFC Asian Cup on home soil, an achievement that earned him a move to La Liga side Valencia.
A short loan spells back in Belgian with Racing Genk followed by a transfer to Brighton & Hove Albion where he spent the last 3 season in the English top-flight.
yan has featured in all of The Seagulls’ league matches this season, playing the full 3420 minutes, keeping 9 clean sheets as the team avoid relegation. The save versus Southampton is no doubt fantastic (it’s why we are rewatching it now) but one of Ryan’s underrated quality is his agility to pull off close-range shot-stopping moves as evidence by his 2.1 saves inside the penalty area per 90 minutes which rank him joint-best in the league alongside Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka.
The 28 years old was in outstanding form post-lockdown, making 5 brilliant goalmouth saves in the 2-1 home win over Arsenal. Thanks to Ryan’s safe hands, Brighton & Hove Albion suffered only 3 defeats in their final 9 games – and those came against the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
