Jose Mourinho branded David De Gea as the “best goalkeeper in the world” after his heroics in Manchester United’s 3-1 win at Arsenal.
United’s devastating finishing on the counter-attack saw them register an away win against one of the Premier League’s top six for the first time during Mourinho’s stewardship.
But it was the performance of De Gea which was equally crucial for United after the Spaniard made 14 saves in the game – equalling the Premier League record.
De Gea made several eye-catching stops, yet the stand-out was a staggering double save to keep out Alexandre Lacazette’s shot and then deny Alexis Sanchez from point-blank range.
“I told him after the match, what I saw today was the best from a goalkeeper in the world. You need the keeper to be there for you when the team needs him,” said Mourinho.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger agreed: “De Gea was man of the match by a clear mile.”
Jesse Lingard’s brace after Antonio Valencia’s opener earned United the win, with Arsenal’s attacking dominance only rewarded with a solitary goal from Lacazette.
However, there was a major blow for Mourinho after Paul Pogba was sent off during the second half – ruling him out of next weekend’s Manchester derby.
”I think it was a fantastic game. If I was in the stands or at home I would have been sad for the game to finish,” said Mourinho.
“I didn’t see the tackle. I just know that Paul is frustrated and a bit disappointed with his [France] colleague [Laurent Koscielny] for his reaction because everyone knows Paul is a clean player and it was not his intention.”
