Craig Gordon's Stunning Save Secures Victory for Hearts

Claudio Braga watched the replay in disbelief, covering his mouth with his hands, then stood in the dugout with his head in his hands.

The Hearts forward's strike from the edge of the box was a display of exceptional skill, ultimately leading the Scottish Premiership leaders to victory at Dundee. However, his moment of glory was overshadowed by the heroics of the man who replaced him on the pitch.

Craig Gordon, at 43 years old and having not seen competitive action since Scotland's World Cup qualification triumph against Denmark, produced what many are calling the save of the season—perhaps even the save of any season.

Not only did he miraculously deny Emile Acquah's goal-bound header, but he also secured all three points for Hearts, keeping them firmly at the top of the table.

"It's probably one of the best saves of my career," a modest Gordon remarked to Sky Sports following the match.

'One of the best saves I've ever seen'

Pundits and fans alike shared Braga's astonishment. Just how did Gordon manage that? Even he seemed unsure.

"Sometimes you surprise yourself as a goalkeeper," Gordon told BBC Scotland. "That was definitely one that I thought was a goal, but I decided to go after it anyway and somehow managed to claw it out. That really does feel as if it was one of my best."

There were comparisons to iconic saves by Gordon Banks against Brazil and David Seaman against Sheffield United, as well as Gordon's own memorable moments against Bolton Wanderers.

Former teammate Steven Pressley, now the head coach of Dundee, praised Gordon's performance. "I spoke to Craig at length before the game. He’s been starved of opportunity, and you wonder if it’s going to affect his performance... wow, it seems to have improved it. He made a couple of big saves today. That’s the reason they’re top of the league; they have a second-choice goalkeeper who’s world class."

Ryan Stevenson, a former Hearts midfielder and pundit, was equally impressed: "That’s save of the season. Every player is running to Craig Gordon. That is one of the best saves I have ever seen. That dressing room will be electric. Against any other goalkeeper in the league, that is a goal and Dundee get a draw."

The excitement surrounding Gordon's save underscored more than just a brilliant moment of goalkeeping; it highlighted the strength of Hearts' remarkable title challenge.

Head coach Derek McInnes remarked, "Craig has always been capable of that big save, that big moment. When he was called upon, he stood up. I thought it was past him. Magnificent moment for him. At 43, throwing himself around the training ground... there’s a lot of motivation this season in terms of the World Cup and trying to be part of something special here. It’s first class, and I’m pleased for him. It’s a reminder that he still has a role to play, and when we needed him, he was there. Any team that has a successful campaign relies on players like him to dig out results like that. It felt significant."

The Goalkeeper Who Never Gave Up

How many times has Gordon been written off throughout his career?

In 2012, he was released by Sunderland after injuries hampered his already impressive career. It would have been understandable had he chosen to give up at that point, just shy of his 30th birthday.

Instead, after spending three years without a club and working as a part-time goalkeeping coach at Dumbarton, he returned to win everything possible with Celtic domestically and rejoined the Scotland national team.

In 2020, he returned to his first club, Hearts, became captain, and won the Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year award for his performances in the 2021-22 season.

But then injury struck again. A severe leg break just a week before his 40th birthday left him celebrating Christmas in a Dundee hospital. Surely, that would be enough to retire? No, not for Gordon.

After recovering, he spent half a season as the backup to Zander Clark at Tynecastle, seemingly on track for a spot on the plane to Germany for Euro 2024. However, Scotland head coach Steve Clarke opted for a farewell friendly against Finland instead, perhaps considering Gordon's lack of playing time over the previous 18 months.

Was that the end? Wrong again. Gordon was recalled amid an injury crisis and kept clean sheets against Portugal and Croatia, before stepping in again for World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Denmark.

As for his time at Hearts, Gordon's summer was marred by injury once more, preventing him from participating in the final stages of last season and limiting him to just one minute in his testimonial against Sunderland in July.

When Clark's form dipped, Gordon was not ready to return, leading to the signing of Alexander Schwolow, who performed well and kept Gordon on the sidelines. Until now.

Schwolow's mistake against Dundee—bringing down Tony Yogane on the edge of the box after the winger beat the offside trap—afforded Gordon his first minutes on the pitch since that memorable night at Hampden.

Almost immediately, he was called into action. Cameron Congreve lined up a free-kick and curled it low, but Gordon reacted quickly to deflect the ball away. The second half was mostly spent as a spectator, with the Hearts defense clearing numerous balls into the box. However, it was not until the final kick—or header—of the match that Gordon had his moment.

Acquah's header seemed destined for the net. Gordon was moving in the opposite direction but somehow stretched to his left, managing to get a strong hand to the ball, turning Dens Park's jubilation into despair.

What Did the Fans Say?

Gez: Craig Gordon won an award for the best ever save in the EPL while at Sunderland after defying physics to stop the ball that was already behind him. I think we’ve just seen the exact same thing for the SPFL Premiership. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. And still don’t.

Tony: Craig Gordon, absolute legend. He had one potentially career-ending injury and didn’t play for ages before excelling at Celtic, then faced another potentially career-ending injury before coming back to help Scotland qualify for the World Cup. He made the best save in Premier League history and now one of the best saves in Scottish Premiership history. And he’s 43, hopefully starting at the World Cup.

Robert: Steve Clarke has the goalie sorted. I’ve watched that guy since he broke into the first team at Tynecastle, and he can still get me out of my seat. He’s a phenomenon, one of the greatest ever.

Alfie: Sometimes you’ve just got to put your hands up and say fair play. Sensational. Never mind being on the plane, he’s still got it.

Craig Gordon's Stunning Save Secures Victory for Hearts

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