Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson insists that Vicente Guaita has nothing to be sorry about after revealing that the Eagles goalkeeper apologised following the defeat against Sheffield United.
The Spaniard dropped an Oliver Norwood corner over his own line in the second half of the match at Selhurst Park, with his error proving to be the difference in the game as the Blades won 1-0.
It was a rare mistake from the former Getafe man, who has been a standout performer for Palace so far this season.
And Hodgson said after the game that while Guaita had tried to apologise in the dressing room for his error, the players and management staff insisted it was not necessary.
Indeed, Hodgson said that Palace are indebted to Guaita for the many crucial saves he has made this season.
“It was a very difficult day for goalkeepers, a very windy day with the ball swirling around,” he said.
“He had to make a very quick decision to either punch, tip the ball over the bar, or catch it. To be fair, given the control we’d had in the game, it would have seemed a good decision.
“If he’d punched the ball away, people would have asked why he didn’t catch it and put us on the attack again.
“With goalkeepers, you don’t have to have studied football coaching and done exams, or watched thousands of games to know it’s a goalkeeping error.
“He was the first one to apologise after the game. But we said to him, you don’t apologise for anything: thanks to you, we are where we are, with 30 points from 25 games.
“He owes us nothing. We owe him an enormous debt. We’re saddened people will blame him, but literally no one at the football club will attach any blame to him.
“It is a fact in football, these things do happen, and I’m sad it’s happened to him and cost us a point in the game. But we’re in Guaita’s debt.”
