One goal separated Bolton Wanderers and Cardiff City on Saturday, but the scoreline barely tells the story. Gavin Bazunu made sure of that.
The goalkeeper produced ten saves to preserve a 1-0 win, and his performance was rated a perfect 10.0, the kind of number that gets attached to a man who single-handedly kept his side ahead rather than one who simply had a quiet afternoon.
A clean sheet forged under pressure
Clean sheets that come from a dominant team performance are one thing. This was not that. Ten saves in a match decided by a single goal means Bazunu was the busiest man on the pitch, called into action again and again as Cardiff pushed for an equaliser that never arrived.
Every save mattered. With Bolton clinging to their slender lead, there was no margin for the goalkeeper to have an off moment, and he didn't have one.
Numbers that tell the story
- Final score: Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Cardiff City
- Saves made: 10
- Match rating: 10.0
A shutout built on ten stops against a side pressing for a way back into the game is the sort of shift that decides points on its own. Bolton's forwards will take credit for the goal, but it was their goalkeeper who made sure it stood up.