Micah Richards was left amazed by what one Tottenham Hotspur star did against Manchester City on Tuesday night, labelling him ‘absolutely brilliant’.
Those who expected a surreal atmosphere inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were proven right, with Spurs fans clearly conflicted about their side doing Arsenal a favour in the Premier League title race.
Manchester City were certainly not at their best in the first-half, managing to put just one shot on target as they struggled to break down a resilient Tottenham side.
But when City were presented with a golden chance, Phil Foden was denied superbly by the outstretched hand of Guglielmo Vicario.
Micah Richards lauds Guglielmo Vicario
Tottenham had caused their own downfall, with both Cristian Romero and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg making mistakes which led to Foden having a volley from close range. Based on his form in recent weeks, many would have expected the Englishman to find the back of the net.
However, Vicario was able to get a strong hand to the volley and Tottenham got the ball away. It was a rare moment of quality in a cagey first-half, with Micah Richards full of praise for the Italian on Sky Sports (broadcast on 14/5; 20:52).
“I mentioned [Mateo] Kovacic before the game, and how he wins the ball back there, he’s always alive, and then it’s just a catalogue of errors from Spurs. Romero first, and then Hojbjerg with a swing at it. And Foden with a chance there, you think he’s just going to smash it in. On the reverse angle, you see how good the save is, it’s absolutely brilliant,” he said.
“I want to talk about the save. Vicario, absolutely brilliant. The way he spreads himself. That is one of the best saves I have seen all season.”
A positive first season with an amazing highlight reel
Vicario has come in for more criticism over the last few months, with the £17 million man being tested a lot more frequently in the second-half of the campaign.
It has however, been a really positive first year in the Premier League for the 27-year-old, who had not been handed an easy task replacing a club legend in Hugo Lloris.
He has produced a number of moments of outstanding quality throughout the season, and that save from Foden was definitely one of them.