David de Gea: Manchester United's boy has come of age

Sir Alex Ferguson’s starting eleven against Liverpool evoked a lot of surprised reactions. In that line-up was David de Gea, who returned to first team action after having weathered the storm following a nervy start during his induction period at Manchester United ably, returned to the starting line-up after missing the Norwich City match. Throwing in the young keeper in a match as explosive as the North West derby was a mark of confidence on the lad by the manager. Since his arrival at Old Trafford, some people have questioned De Gea’s price tag, some his attributes while others the youngster’s lack of experience on the big stage. However, the United faithful were hopeful that it was just a matter of time before de Gea would find his feet at the club.

The Spaniard was not all about the negatives in his first few games for United. He did begin to show glimpses of what Sir Alex saw in him during his Atletico Madrid days. After saving a penalty against Arsenal, he made a string of terrific saves against Chelsea. But after letting in 3 goals against Basel in the Champions League, the manager decided to give him a rest and played Anders Lindegaard in his place against Norwich. In hindsight, the young keeper had been put under too much pressure too early in his United career, largely owing to a shaky defence. The young lad was already on the top of one list- the maximum no. of saves in the league.

Anfield was always going to be a stage too big and too hot to handle for the 20-year old. United fans knew that their Liverpool counterparts will not be doing him any favours, with the Kop behind his back eager to make his life nothing short of miserable. But de Gea had other things in mind. He came out all guns blazing, his feet looking firm blessed with an aura of calmness and maturity in a truly hostile environment. After an hour and a half of intense battle, he came out a grown man. He had answered his critics in their faces with some stunning saves, fantastic blocks sprinkled with intelligent distribution and above all, a hard-earned point for Manchester United.

Let’s relive some of de Gea’s brilliant match-saving moments against Liverpool:

1. Suarez in the 34^th minute- Charlie Adam, after a magnificent run past several United players, let go off a weak shot that unfortunately rebounded off a defender and fell to Luis Suarez right outside the box. With only one defender and de Gea in his way, the Uruguay turned and twisted and fired in a left-footed shot straight at de Gea. Some might argue that the United shot-stopper had little to with that save, but he has to be commended for standing his ground and not committing to one direction in the midst of Suarez’s trickery. He solidly blocked off Suarez’s decent effort, preventing other lurking Liverpool players to pounce on the rebound.
2. Kuyt in the 82^nd minute- Right after Hernandez broke Liverpool hearts by grabbing the equalizer, Stewart Downing curled in an exquisite cross from the left flank which evaded United’s last man. On the receiving end was Dirk Kuyt who only had to slide the ball into an almost open goal and restore his team’s lead. The Dutchman did just that, only to see it blocked off miraculously by de Gea, who dived acrobatically to save what looked like a certain goal to break Liverpool hearts and keep his team in the game.
3. Henderson in the 89^th minute- The moment of the match, one of the biggest talking points of derby day occurred when substitute Jordan Henderson saw de Gea off his line and delicately executed an audacious lob that looked destined for the top corner. Liverpool fans had started celebrating a moment of pure inspiration but their joy was short-lived as de Gea sprung from the ground to snatch the ball out of the goal and put it out of harm’s way. It seemed that it was the Spaniard’s day and there was no getting past him. De Gea surely made his presence felt today with a memorable match-saving performance and let’s hope it’s the first of many to come!