Shay Given has Theo Walcott in stitches after what he said about Robin Roefs at Sunderland
Sunderland produced a brilliant 10-man performance to claim a precious point in their 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Reinildo’s first-half dismissal put Sunderland under pressure, but a moment of magic from Granit Xhaka found Wilson Isidor, who scored his third goal of the season to equalise at the Stadium of Light.
Villa’s goal came from Matty Cash, whose 20-yard strike should have been better dealt with by fan-favourite Robin Roefs.
Shay Given’s joke about Robin Roefs has Theo Walcott in stitches
Roefs has been incredible for Sunderland since joining from NEC Nijmegen in the summer.
However, his attempt to punch away Cash’s dipping shot went wrong, with the ball skidding off his gloves and into the back of the net.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2 on 21 September, former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given was critical of the goalkeeper’s performance versus Aston Villa.
He said: “There’s a lot of movement on the strike, but I still expect him to save this. He’s only 22 years old, he’s only young, and he will learn.”
“Roefs was on fire last week, but he won’t be too happy with this.
“Last week, Roefs’ on fire, this week, Roefs’ (roof’s) leaking.”
This prompted laughs from Theo Walcott and presenter Mark Chapman at the 49-year-old’s joke.
Given was full of praise for Roefs following last week’s 0-0 draw against Palace, where the goalkeeper made six saves and prevented 1.36 expected goals (xG).
| Games played | 5 |
| Goals conceded | 4 |
| Saves | 14 |
| Save percentage | 77.8 |
| Goals prevented | 0.92 |
| Penalties saved | 1 |
For just £11.5m, Roefs has provided Regis Le Bris with a solid foundation, and despite the mistake against Villa, he has already proved to be incredibly valuable for the Black Cats.
Nordi Mukiele another signing who has improved Sunderland defensively
Similar to Roefs, Mukiele has adapted to the Premier League brilliantly, despite initial worries about his fitness.
The former Paris Saint-Germain defender has been excellent at centre-back, but Reinildo’s red card meant he played as a full-back at times for most of the match on Sunday.
His pace and power at the back are something Sunderland have definitely needed, as Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete are completely different profiles.
The 27-year-old has valuable experience playing in big Champions League matches throughout his career, and alongside Roefs, he looks to be one of the best deals of the transfer window.
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