Cech revels in clean-sheet milestone despite long wait

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech finally earned his 200th clean sheet on Sunday - becoming the first goalkeeper to reach that mark in the Premier League era - even though the achievement took a little longer than he initially anticipated.

The Czech Republic international kept the ball out of his own net for the entire 90 minutes as Arsenal enjoyed a 3-0 victory over Watford, even saving a penalty struck by Troy Deeney in the second half to secure the clean sheet.

The former Chelsea shot-stopper had been stuck on the 199 clean-sheet mark for a significant period of time, with his last one coming in a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Dec. 16.

In any case, Cech now stands alone at the 200 mark, 31 more than second-placed David James.

"It's an unbelievable personal milestone, obviously," the 35-year-old told Sky Sports.

"We took only 18 games to get nine clean sheets at the start of the season to reach the 199 and we had to wait 11 games (to get to 200), which is sometimes frustrating.

"But the most important thing is when the team wins."

Related - Petr late than never: Cech finally notches 200th EPL clean sheet in win

Cech also stressed the importance of Arsenal's first league victory since Feb. 3.

"When you are in the difficult moment and you have a run of results which go against you, you need to look at yourself and find the way out," he offered.