Manuel Neuer enjoyed a night of mixed fortunes as he went from hero to zero on social media.
In the first half of Bayern Munich’s Champions League clash with Arsenal, Manuel Neuer made a world-class save from Theo Walcott, as he clawed away a header from six yards out, to ensure his side went in level at the break.
Neuer’s joy soon turned to despair when the German came and missed Santi Cazorla’s free-kick, with just 13 minutes remaining, allowing Olivier Giroud to bundle the ball into an empty net.
Manuel Neuer is at full stretch to save Theo Walcott’s header in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Bayern Munich
Neuer was lauded for his brilliance on Twitter shortly after his Walcott save, by various professional footballers, most notably international and club team-mate Mario Gotze.
Former Bayern shotstopper Pepe Reina and BT Sport presenter Gary Lineker were amongst the other stars keen to sing Neuer’s praises, while Sportsmail correspondent Jamie Carragher suggested the save was similar to one made by Gordon Banks against Pele in the 1970 World Cup when he tweeted: ‘Manuel Banks’.
Gotze suggested Neuer’s presence was similar to a wall with his hashtag #NeuerTheWall and West Brom keeper Ben Foster simply added: ‘OMG what hope have u got when he’s saving them!!!! #Neuer’.