As far as back-up goalkeepers go, Sergio Romero is a luxury. He would be a starter for most sides in Europe, maybe all but the absolute elite. But Manchester United have David de Gea, so Romero, Argentina’s No. 1, has become a squad player, trotted out for cup games.
Romero and FA Cup clean sheets go hand in hand, however. The Argentine was at it again on Monday night, refusing to be breached by Chelsea’s admittedly toothless attack in a 2-0 win that took United into the quarter-finals of the competition.
Despite being the away goalkeeper, Romero only faced two shots on target, with both of those coming in quick succession in the first half, as the keeper beat away David Luiz’s free-kick and then Gonzalo Higuain’s follow-up on the rebound.
The performance kept up the 31-year-old’s remarkable record in the competition. In 11 FA Cup appearances, Romero has conceded to only two players – Danny Graham and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Graham’s goal came in the 2016-17 fifth round, which meant that Romero went nearly two years without conceding an FA Cup goal, before Aubameyang scored this January for Arsenal in United’s 3-1 win.
It is to Romero’s credit that he often puts in these displays in cup competitions, not only are Premier League appearances scarce but he’s often dropped for De Gea whenever United go far in a cup. He didn’t appear in the FA Cup semi-final or final last season, nor in the quarter-final loss to Chelsea the season before. When United won the FA Cup in 2015-16, Romero made only one appearance, the same number he made when the team won the League Cup the following season.
Romero did start in nine out of 12 games in United’s triumphant 2016-17 Europa League run, including the entirety of the knockout stages – he kept a clean sheet in the final, of course.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s policy of keeping him as the cup keeper no matter who United play – earlier managers often drafted De Gea in even in the earlier rounds if the team were drawn against tough opposition – may see him form the backbone of another triumph for the club, if the Red Devils can keep going strong in this season’s FA Cup.
Meanwhile, Romero can be content himself with his standing in United’s history. Statistically speaking, he could claim to be the club’s best-ever keeper – no one has kept clean sheets for United at the rate he has.
Not bad for a No 2 goalkeeper.
