Heurelho Gomes earned Watford a draw on Saturday with his late penalty save- David Seaman holds the record for the best penalty save ratio in the top flight
Putting the ball into the net from a penalty should, in theory, be one of the easier things to accomplish in professional football, but when you have Heurelho Gomes staring you down the spot-kick becomes a slightly trickier task.
The Brazilian played a decisive role in helping Watford claim a 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw at AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, denying Glenn Murray a match-winning second goal five minutes from time with a penalty save.
Murray's penalty was the 21st that Gomes has faced in the Barclays Premier League and it was the sixth saved by the 34-year-old, who previously represented Tottenham Hotspur in the top flight.
Gomes has kept out 28.6% of the penalties he has faced. Of the 32 goalkeepers to have had a minimum of 20 spot-kicks fired in their direction only Arsenal legend David Seaman(31.8%) has a better record.
Best all-time penalty save ratios in BPL
| Keeper | Pens faced | Pens saved | Save % |
| Seaman | 22 | 7 | 31.8% |
| Gomes | 21 | 6 | 28.6% |
| Al Habsi | 22 | 6 | 27.3% |
| Van der Sar | 31 | 8 | 25.8% |
| Green | 35 | 9 | 25.7% |
- David James has made the most penalty saves of any goalkeeper in the BPL era
- Mark Schwarzer has made more BPL penalty saves than any other present-day keeper
Gomes' achievement appears even more impressive when compared to the record ofPeter Schmeichel, who saved only three from 21 penalties, while the former Brazil international will go level with Seaman should he be successful again next time.
Leading penalty saves in BPL history
| Keeper | Most pens saved |
| James | 13 |
| Sorensen | 12 |
| Friedel | 10 |
| Schwarzer | 10 |
| Jaaskelainen | 9 |
| Given | 9 |
| Green | 9 |
| Gomes | 6 |
Another BPL legend, David James, leads the way in terms of total saves, having stopped 13 of his 63 penalties faced (20.6%), but Gomes' percentage gives him a considerable advantage over those currently playing in the league.
Everton's Tim Howard is the closest challenger to Gomes with seven of 32 (21.9%) saved, while Mark Schwarzer (20.4%), Petr Cech (19.0%) and Ben Foster (18.2%) are not far behind.
Current penalty save ratios in BPL
| Keeper | Pens faced | Pens saved | Save % |
| Gomes | 21 | 6 | 28.6% |
| Howard | 32 | 7 | 21.9% |
| Schwarzer | 49 | 10 | 20.4% |
| Cech | 21 | 4 | 19.0% |
| Foster | 33 | 6 | 18.2% |
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