Ben Foster has given his thoughts on a potential ban being introduced to prevent Premier League goalkeepers from having "unfair" information in penalty situations. It has been a hot topic of debate after Jordan Pickford was spotted reading his water bottle in Everton's 1-0 defeat to Leeds United on Monday night (August 18).
The Peacocks made a stunning start to their return to the top-flight by defeating David Moyes' Toffees. New summer signing Lukas Nmecha netted the winner from the penalty spot despite Pickford diving the right way.
Pickford was spotted reading information on his battle in preparation for the penalty and seemed to learn where Nmecha would place his spot-kick. It's not the first time a goalkeeper has been seen using the equipment to gain an advantage over the taker.
Ben Foster Responds To Potential Ban
Ben Foster
Pickford's actions have sparked discussion about the Premier League intervening to prevent goalkeepers from having information printed on their water bottles. It has become a recurring feature in the sport, including in women's football, following Hannah Hampton's heroics in England's European Championship final victory over Spain earlier this summer.
The England men's number one's tactics against Leeds didn't go down well with former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara. He spoke on talkSPORT after Leeds' victory:
"By the way, Jordan Pickford, the water bottle situation, where they have got the penalties [written on it]. You see him pick his water bottle up, he’s obviously got a load of information on there. I’m not having that. I think it needs to be knocked on the head, it needs to be banned, I think you have to ban anything being written on water bottles."
O'Hara added:
"I think it's unacceptable. The penalty is a 50/50, you against the keeper, but the keeper has all of the information... I don’t think it’s fair, it’s unsportsmanlike, if you’re allowed to have all of the water bottles with all of the information written on it - he dives the right way by the way."
Foster responded to O'Hara's analysis with a telling reply on X, posting three laughing emojis:
Pickford's antics follow those of Dean Henderson, who admitted to reading a "cheat sheet" during Crystal Palace's penalty shootout win over Liverpool in the Community Shield. The Englishman made saves from Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliot at Wembley in the season's curtain-raiser.
Foster Used Penalty Hack Against O'Hara
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Foster's laughter in response to O'Hara's stance might not only stem from his opinion on a potential ban. The former Manchester United goalkeeper once revealed that he was one of the first to use a penalty hack to gain an advantage.
The now-retired shot-stopper recalled using a similar trick against O'Hara in United's League Cup final win over Tottenham in 2009. He had assessed the Spurs midfielder's past spot-kicks on an iPod (via Fozcast):
"Steely the goalkeeper coach he basically had them all on the iPod and he was showing me which way they all go. So the first penalty I saved was Jamie O'Hara, the Jamie O'Hara clips were telling me he was going to put it to my left, so I make the save. Boom."
Foster saved 11 penalties in his career, including a crucial one for Wrexham back in 2023 that helped them win the National League at the expense of Notts County. He also denied Steven Gerrard in West Bromwich Albion's shock 2-0 win over Liverpool in 2013.