John Ruddy picked the perfect day to showcase his skills in front of England boss Roy Hodgson.
It wasn’t that John Ruddy was under bombardment for 90 minutes because the Norwich City back four did an exceptional job, but when called upon, he made important saves from Van Persie, twice, from team-mate Bassong, from Anderson and, best of all, a brilliant one-handed effort in the first half from Young.
Young’s low left-foot shot looked destined for the far post until Ruddy stuck out his left-hand to divert the ball wide.
Ruddy was alert throughout and pulled off another wonderful save from his own defender as Bassong got his head to Van Persie’s free-kick, reacting brilliantly to tip the ball over the bar.
Just as importantly, the keeper now exudes such authority and confidence, and he was commanding in the air.
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