When Crystal Palace U18 Michael Phillips stepped into goal in replacement of the injured Oliver Pain, he should have been afraid. He had no right to be where he was. He was an outfield player, not a goal keeper. He shouldn’t have been in goal at any point in the game, never mind during the last 20 seconds, and definitely not for a game-defining penalty kick. He should have been a nervous wreck as he faced the 12 shortest yards known to mankind. He should have been shaking out of his boots. And he definitely should not have been dancing backwards into position, staring down the penalty taker the entire time, but that’s exactly what he did.
“Coach was tellin’ me to get in the person's head.” You don’t say?
We suppose what happened next was inevitable. What penalty taker could maintain his composure in the face of such swag? Not this one, that’s for sure.
And then the celebration; the team wide incredulous jubilation. Everything you need to know about Michael Phillips incredible save is encapsulated in the ecstasy of his teammates’ cries from 0:29 and on. We live for the moments that make us cry “OH MY GOD!” like that.
Oh, and don’t think we didn’t notice that expertly executed, flying, two-footed kung-fu kick, Mr Phillips. That was the pièce de résistance.
