The battle for the Castrol Golden Glove is mirroring the title race in terms of closeness and quality, with the Liverpool and Manchester City goalkeepers only one clean sheet apart and a Premier League record in sight.
Liverpool's No 1 Alisson has kept 20 clean sheets this season compared with the 18 of his Brazilian countryman Ederson.
The gap between them opened up in Matchweek 34, when Ederson conceded in a 5-1 victory over Watford, while the next day Alisson kept out Everton in a 2-0 win, securing his seventh clean sheet in eight outings.
Alisson moved even further ahead on Saturday when shutting out Newcastle United in the Reds' 1-0 victory at St James' Park.
Ederson will attempt to follow suit later in the day when Man City visit Leeds United, with every shot and save crucial in determining the winner of this season’s prize.
The Golden Glove race
| Player | Club | Clean sheets | Fixtures |
| Alisson | LIV | 20 | TOT (H), AVL (A), SOU (A), WOL (H) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ederson | MCI | 18 | LEE (A), NEW (H), WHU (A), AVL (H), WOL (A) |
The standard of the duel between Alisson and Ederson, one of whom has claimed the award in each of the last three campaigns, has been so high this season that both goalkeepers are challenging the best clean-sheet totals since the Golden Glove award was established in 2004/05.
Last three Golden Glove winners
| Season | Winner | Clean sheets |
| 2018/19 | Alisson | 21 |
|---|---|---|
| 2019/20 | Ederson | 16 |
| 2020/21 | Ederson | 19 |
See: All the Golden Glove winners
Alisson’s total 21 shutouts in 2018/19 was the joint second-best in history. It is a mark both he and Ederson can beat this season.
Alisson could even equal Petr Cech's record of 24 clean sheets in a season, set with Chelsea in 2004/05. But Alisson would have to avoid conceding throughout his final four matches.
Ederson could become only the third man to grab the Golden Glove in three consecutive campaigns, after Pepe Reina for Liverpool, and Joe Hart with Man City.
Also in this series
Part 1: Golden Boot: Can Salah hold off his pursuers?
Part 3: Playmaker award: Salah assist spree puts him top