Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has revealed he was one of the first goalkeepers to use a modern-day penalty hack during the 2009 League Cup final.
Foster was at United from 2005 to 2010 operating primarily as a backup option, but often got his chance in the cup and was also in between the sticks for United's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Everton on penalties.
The England goalkeeper earned 'Man of the Match' in the League Cup final against Spurs, with the game finishing 0-0 before Foster helped his team come out victorious on penalties.
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Penalties are considered like football's game of lottery, with spot kicks often acting as the great equaliser between sides, but Foster had a trick up his sleeve.
The now-retired keeper revealed on his podcast that the shootout against Spurs was the first time he had used the 'famous iPod' as an aid to predict where certain penalty takers place their spot kicks.
"So basically yeah, Steely the goalkeeper coach he basically had them all on the iPod and he was showing me which way they all go," Foster said on Fozcast.
"So the first penalty I saved was Jamie O'Hara, the Jamie O'Hara clips were telling me he was going to put it to my left, so I make the save. Boom.
"Then I think it was David Bentley, and he put it wide but our lads were brilliant like we were ruthless. We had Anderson, Ryan Giggs, Carlos Tevez just dispatching penalties, Heurelho Gomes in goal for Spurs didn't stand a chance," Foster continued.
Since then, goalkeepers have consistently tried to gain an edge when facing penalties, with Jordan Pickford using notes from his water bottle last year to save James Maddison's penalty which ultimately kept Everton up and relegated Leicester.
Ironically Jamie O'Hara wasn't happy with the advantage Pickford gained, I wonder why?
"It gives an unfair advantage to the goalkeeper. I don’t know if I like it," O'Hara argued last year on talkSPORT.
Topics: Manchester United, Ben Foster, Football
Tom Jenkins