There were too many saves for Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea to even remember.
Everyone else was certainly counting: Eleven. The most by any goalkeeper in a Premier League match this season. And they were all in the second half to thwart a Tottenham comeback.
The Spaniard’s virtuoso goalkeeping performance protected a 1-0 victory in the Premier League on Monday (NZT) after Marcus Rashford’s first-half strike, giving United a sixth successive victory in all competitions since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho.
United went into the break at Wembley one goal to the good after Marcus Rashford had opened the scoring.
I see a lot of people saying all De Gea saves were straight at him, please factor in that the guy has some mad sense to know where to be at just the right time, you can’t teach that. Proper goally ?
— Ben Foster (@BenFoster) January 13, 2019
But the second half was all about David de Gea, with the Spaniard making save after save to keep Tottenham at bay.
He made 11 stops throughout the match – his most in a top-flight match without conceding a goal.
But Solskjaer warned the Manchester United No 1 that he might be busy in the second half.
“I said to David at half time, ‘You might have to make a save here, you have to keep your concentration!’” Solskjaer told beIN SPORTS.
“He didn’t have to keep his concentration because he was never allowed to relax.
“He’s a fantastic goalkeeper, I think he’s the best in the world but you’re allowed to have good goalkeepers.”
De Gea was awarded man of the match for his superb performance at Wembley as he looked back to his best.
But he admitted he didn’t know which save was the best.
Asked after the game to give his favourite of the 11 stops, De Gea told Sky Sports: “No, I do not remember some of them! I’m happy with everything.
“We won the game against a top team like Tottenham, we controlled the first half.
“But the second [half] they put a lot of pressure, they had chances but we defended well and we’ve got the three points.
“I was feeling very well with the first two saves, but it was a great game.
“Especially with the three points at Wembley, with the fans, so we’re very very happy.”
Asked about the effect of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the side, De Gea said: “He brings some happiness, the team is playing very well now and is strong.
“We know how to control the games, how to create chances, and this is the real Manchester United.”