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Even the best fall down sometimes. Sometimes, just occasionally, even the stars refuse to shine.
That's been the case with the highly lionized David de Gea. The goalkeeper who is widely regarded for his unusual yet effective shot-stopping technique along with his knack for keeping out everything that's shot on goal, came up with an absolute howler in the high-voltage encounter against Arsenal this weekend.
Manchester United traveled to the Emirates in the feature game of the recently concluded Premier League weekend, aiming to strengthen their grip on fourth place, and perhaps, look to close the gap on Spurs as well - a team that was 13 points ahead of them when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took the reins at Old Trafford.
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The Gunners started with a spring in their step, committing large number of bodies forward, playing with urgency and racking up clear-cut chances. Manchester United were made to play deeper, but not until de Gea's mistake were they prevented from snatching an unlikely lead.
Granit Xhaka put Arsenal ahead in the 12th minute, before a penalty late on in the second half inflicted a first league defeat for Solskjaer as Red Devils boss.
A very minuscule portion of football supporters refuses to add de Gea to the bracket of elite goalkeepers in the world, while many bill him as the best goalkeeper in the game without a shadow of a doubt.
He's certainly proved himself at the top level and single-handedly won matches for his club, but there have been times when he has been caught napping.
Here, we'll revisit five moments when David de Gea has committed a blunder between the sticks.
Note: All these instances of failures recorded by the shot-stopper have come at the cost of a loss or draw. These mistakes have cost his side the game.
#1 Arsenal v Manchester United, PL 2018-19
Final score: Arsenal 2-0 Manchester United
Many a time this season, de Gea has come to Manchester United's rescue. But in this most recent howler of his, United were made to scramble by a Gunners side oozing energy.
We assume this is still fresh in your memory. Granit Xhaka launched one from the right channel out from 25 yards. The shot had no height or pace, but only the swerve that had de Gea completely undone.
The custodian moved to his right, and missed the trajectory of the ball altogether. As a result, he ended up conceding an embarrassing goal.
#2 Spain v Switzerland, pre-World Cup friendly
Final score: Spain 1-1 Switzerland
A larger fraction of the fraternity remembers de Gea's spill against a left-footed Cristiano Ronaldo strike in the World Cup group stage, but not all of them stapled the Spain number 1's howler against Switzerland in the build-up to the premier footballing event.
In an affair where Julen Lopetegui's side were widely tipped to demolish a rather out-of-sorts Swiss side, they registered a lackluster draw. Chances came in abundance and were squandered, but it was the Manchester United goalkeeper's fumble that granted Switzerland an unlikely equalizer.
Arsenal full back Stephan Lichtsteiner tried to curl one with his left foot, but his effort lacked venom, and moreover, it should have been gobbled up by de Gea. Instead, the goalie tried parrying it away and gifted it straight to an unmarked Ricardo Rodriguez, who made no mistake in cancelling out Odriozola's opener.
#3 Bournemouth v Manchester United, PL 2015-16
Final score: Bournemouth 2-1 Manchester United
Louis Van Gaal's Manchester United traveled to a buzzing Vitality Stadium with hopes of strengthening their grip on a top 4 place.
They lost ground and ended up outside the Champions League spots, with this fixture proving to be a bitter pill to swallow.
Just a couple of minutes in, a well-tuned corner from Junior Stanislas was fizzed in. Much to everybody's surprise, the ball beat all the shirts in the box to land into the top corner, leaving de Gea goggle-eyed and beaten.
He should have covered the space and tipped it over the cross bar, if not claim it with both hands.
Marouane Fellaini restored parity for the Red Devils, but a 54th-minute goal from Joshua King proved to be the difference between the sides. Unfortunately, Manchester United slipped down the table post this fixture.
#4 Spain v Portugal, FIFA World Cup 2018
Final score: Spain 3-3 Portugal
Well, we're sure you remember this one, but is it for Ronaldo's hat-trick or de Gea's heedless act?
It was a crazy, crazy game of football, indeed. Diego Costa poached a couple of fabulous goals, but Lopetegui's joy on the touchline was halted by a sublime free-kick from none other than Ronaldo.
David de Gea's error proved to be a major talking point, as it was more than just embarrassing. On the cusp of half-time, Ronaldo arrived at the end of a promising build-up from Portugal, but failed to find the right connection with his left boot from the edge of the box.
He shot straight at de Gea, who probably had butter over his gloves, as the keeper made a hash of things and guided it to the back of his own net.
#5 Manchester United v Arsenal, PL 2018-19
Final score: Manchester United 2-2 Arsenal
There's another one against the Gunners, and in this very season.
This game portrayed the situations of the two camps to the best effect. On one side, Jose Mourinho's Manchester United were struggling big time to muster a string of positive results, while on the other, Unai Emery and co. registered their 20th unbeaten game in all competitions with this draw.
Here again, David de Gea was caught napping in goal. First of all, United allowed Shkodran Mustafi to execute a free header. But 85 percent of the blame goes to the Manchester United glove man, who was favorite to catch a loose ball at the most comfortable of heights.
Instead, the football squirmed through de Gea's hands and dropped over the line. He should have enveloped the ball with his gloves all day, all year long.
