On This Day in 2015 – Petr Cech claims new clean-sheet record with 170th shutout

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech racked up a new record 170th Premier League clean sheet on this day five years ago.

The Czech Republic stopper helped Arsenal shut out Bournemouth 2-0 on the south coast in 2015 to move ahead of David James in the Premier League clean-sheet stakes.

Cech’s eighth shutout for Arsenal added to his 162 amassed across his 11-year career with previous club Chelsea.

The reliable goalkeeper’s 170th clean sheet came in his 352 Premier League appearance.

“It’s a great personal achievement and I felt really proud at the end of the game because if you look at the names in the clean-sheet numbers and you see all those fantastic goalkeepers who had been playing and are still playing in this league then obviously it is a great achievement to top the list,” said Cech at the time.

Cech eventually brought down the curtain on a glittering career in 2019, with his final match coming as Arsenal were thumped 4-1 by his former club Chelsea in the Europa League final in Baku.

The former Rennes goalkeeper moved straight from standing between the Arsenal sticks into Chelsea’s boardroom upon his retirement.

Cech returned to Stamford Bridge as a technical director, as his former team-mate Frank Lampard took the helm as manager in west London.

This season Cech has made a comeback of sorts, featuring for Chelsea’s under-23s side.

Chelsea registered the 38-year-old in their Premier League squad as a precautionary move to help in any possible coronavirus-related availability crisis.

Cech had been training with and helping to coach Chelsea’s goalkeepers, and boss Lampard took the chance to add him to the club’s top-flight ranks.

Chelsea’s development under-23 side rallied from leaking two early goals to beat Tottenham 3-2 on Monday, December 14.