Carling Cup final: Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham (United win 4-1 on penalties)
Ben Foster revealed how an iPod was the secret behind his penalty heroics which helped Manchester United clinch the Carling Cup and stay on course for a unique Quintuple.
Moments before yesterday's Wembley shoot-out, goalkeeping coach Eric Steele handed Foster an iPod showing video footage of Spurs players taking spot-kicks. It did the trick as he saved Jamie O'Hara's opening effort and Spurs never recovered.
"We did a lot of research trying to find out as much as we could about Tottenham and their penalty-takers," said Foster.
"I was looking at some of their penalties on an iPod just before the shoot-out.
"I was told to stand big for the first penalty from O'Hara and that he would probably go the way he did. So it clearly worked and I'm absolutely delighted."
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was full of praise for Foster, who he has been using in the Carling Cup rather than first-choice keeper Edwin Van der Sar.
"We took our penalties very confidently and Ben made a fantastic save, which gave us a big lift," said Fergie.
Advertisement - article continues below »
"Foster was fantastic. He made two or three excellent saves.
"The future is his. The present belongs to Edwin van der Sar, that's obvious. But, given that experience in a final, that strengthens Ben's own belief.
"I think he'll be England's keeper for a number of years and I just pray he has more luck with injuries than he's had in the last few years.
"Ben's a very strong character. He has to be to have come through two cruciate knee injuries. It takes a tremendous amount of sacrifice to recover to do what he's done."
Although the Carling Cup and Club World Cup are already in the bag, Fergie said he and his players were not thinking about a clean sweep of trophies.
"We won't get carried away with it," he said. "We'll keep our feet on the ground.
"It would be great to think we could do it, but my experience says we could go to Fulham next weekend and go out of the FA Cup."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment