Van der Sar delighted with return

The game against Bolton was the Dutch veteran’s first game of the season, after being out with a broken hand.

“When you come back you always want to keep a clean sheet. But the most important thing is the three points and we hung on today and deserved the win,” he told his club’s official website.

“I enjoyed the game and it was good to get another victory.

“For long periods we were the better team and created the most chances. Jussi Jaaskelainen played spectacularly again and pulled off some fantastic saves.

“At 2-0 the game wasn’t over and Bolton scored a scrappy goal – we didn’t defend well on that one. We didn’t panic but the game should have been done and dusted. Instead, we were left to fight to hold onto the lead. We had to dig a bit deeper than we maybe expected after 50 or 60 minutes.”