Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had a shocker between the sticks during the game against Arsenal at the Emirates on Friday night. Mignolet conceded three goals to Arsenal in six minutes as the Gunners made a comeback to draw 3-3 with Liverpool. That saw the goalkeeper been slated by the Liverpool fans, left, right and centre on social media.
The Belgium international’s time at Anfield has been a turbulent one. Since signing for Liverpool in 2013, Mignolet has produced some very mixed performances for the Reds and has often received flak from the fans.
There is no denying Mignolet’s shot-stopping ability; he showed it at his former club, Sunderland, making acrobatic saves, week in week out. But at Liverpool, one second he makes a fantastic save and the next moment, a howler. Such has been the Belgian’s curious case if one has to sum up his tenure so far at Anfield.
Goalkeepers can win matches with one save or many and in the strange case of Mignolet, it is more liking losing matches with an error.
Despite coming under fire for a couple of years, the 29-year-old has still managed to play 200 times for his current club – achieving the milestone by keeping a clean-sheet in Liverpool’s 5-0 thumping of Swansea City in the Premier League on the Boxing Day.
To celebrate his service to the club, Liverpool’s official Twitter account decided to post a compilation of the ‘stunning saves’ he has made in the club’s jersey.
Given that Mignolet has made so many errors, the tweet didn’t go down well with the Kopites. Here’s how the Liverpool fans reacted on Twitter.
🔴 @SMignolet made his 200th Reds appearance tonight!
He's made some stunning saves along the way… 🙌 pic.twitter.com/3jGgk5dl0S
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 26, 2017
And he’s made some stunning mistakes too
— PvZ Stuff (@PvZStuff) 26 December 2017
— Mathias Wädel (@Officialrebel_) 26 December 2017
— Seb Losardo (@SebLosardo) 26 December 2017
I’m afraid too many mistakes, not good enough to be No.1…
— Adam B (@adtalks) 26 December 2017
and also some ridiculous howlers. Never in a million Sunday’s good enough.
— Martyn Parker (@MartynParker28) 26 December 2017
— yn (@yungneves) 26 December 2017
His reel of howlers would be longer than 58 seconds.
— Paul Smith (@psmith2812) 26 December 2017
Is this a fucking joke
— John (@_UpTheReds) 26 December 2017
He is a good goalie – just a tendency to make howlers every now and then ……
— Sammy Liddell (@samli929) 27 December 2017
Instils no confidence in the players in front of him, can’t distribute, barely commands his box, flaps at corners and crosses into the box, makes unbelievable errors that have cost us points. If anyone stood in goal for 200 games they’d make some stunning saves too.
— Frank Xavier (@happychappy76) 26 December 2017
A disgrace to the club that we’ve allowed him 200 appearances, absolute fraud!
— Gary Kenny (@garykenny1990) 26 December 2017
Still an awful keeper for LFC standards. Sorry
— J (@442reds) 27 December 2017
and some dreadful ones
— Adam (@AdamG__96) 26 December 2017