Most clean sheets in Premier League: Petr Cech leads the way

The English Premier League is known for its high-intensity matches that keep the fans on their toes throughout the 90 minutes of thrilling action.

The goalkeepers play a crucial role in this end-to-end display of football, where they try their best to not concede a goal and keep a clean sheet.

Former Arsenal and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech holds the record for most clean sheets in Premier League history, having registered 202 shutouts in his illustrious career in the English top flight.

Among active footballers, Manchester United's David De Gea is the only shot-stopper to make it to the top-10 list.

On February 12, 2023, he marked his 400th appearance for the Red Devils with a 2-0 win over rivals Leeds United, recording his 139th clean sheet in the process. Furthermore, the Spainish international became the first non-British player to play 400 matches for a single club, also becoming the youngest goalie to achieve the feat at the age of 32.

The first @ManUtd goalkeeper to reach 400 #PL appearances!

Congratulations on a landmark moment, @D_DeGea 👏

📊 @Oracle pic.twitter.com/ygBVshPcR0

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 12, 2023

Most clean sheets in Premier League

(*) denotes active player

Petr Cech - 202 clean sheets in 443 matches

Petr Cech, one of the most decorated players in the competition’s history, is the only goalkeeper to register 200-plus clean sheets in the Premier League. 

Having joined Chelsea from Stade Rennais FC in 2004 for £7 million, the then club-record transfer for a goalie, Cech quickly adapted to the fast-paced and physical nature of the league.

Apart from most clean sheets, the former Czech Republic veteran also holds numerous other goalkeeping records. 

He is the fastest to reach 100 clean sheets in the Premier League, reaching the milestone in 180 matches with Chelsea. Also, he heads the record for most clean sheets in a single season (24 in 2004/05 with Chelsea)

Moreover, he jointly holds the most Golden Glove awards (four, shared with Joe Hart) and is the only keeper to have won the Premier League Golden Glove award with two different clubs (Chelsea and Arsenal).

David James - 169 clean sheets in 572 matches

David James is the next goalie on the list of most clean sheets in Premier League history, with 169 shutouts

James played as the first-choice goalkeeper for five clubs during his 18-year tenure in the top tier of English football, having begun with Liverpool in the 90s followed by Aston Villa, West Ham United, Manchester City and Portsmouth.

Former England shot-stopper also holds the record for most appearances for a goalkeeper in the Premier League (572) and the most penalty kicks saved (13 out of 63 faced).

Mark Schwarzer - 151 clean sheets in 514 matches

Mark Schwarzer is only the third goalkeeper to register more than 150 clean sheets in the Premier League after Petr Cech and David James, with 92 of them coming for Middlesbrough in 366 appearances for the club.

In addition to featuring on the list of most clean sheets in the Premier League, The former Australian goalie has an interesting record to his name.

He is the first player to win back-to-back EPL titles with two different clubs, having done so in 2014/15 and 2015/16 with Chelsea and Leicester City, respectively. 

Surprisingly, he did not make any appearance for either club in their title-winning campaigns.

Photo credit: Alamy