The Spanish shot-stopper made an incredible last-minute penalty save to deny Mark Noble from the spot in the Premier League on Sunday.
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Manchester United came from behind to register a thrilling 2-1 victory at West Ham United on Sunday. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the equaliser in the first half before Jesse Lingard netted the impressive late winner. However, it was David De Gea, who turned out to be the hero for the club in the dying seconds of the match. In the final minute of the game, the home side were awarded a late penalty, giving them a chance to equalise. Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot following a handball from Luke Shaw after consulting the TV monitor. The Spanish shot-stopper, however, kept his cool to make an incredible last-minute penalty save to deny Mark Noble from the spot.
David De Gea was understandably thrilled after saving the final spot-kick and securing all three points for the Red Devils on Sunday. “It was a bit crazy at the end, a great goal of Jesse, a stupid penalty, lucky penalty for them at the end of the game,” De Gea told MUTV. “They make the change [Noble coming on as a sub] so it was a little bit strange. At the end, I make the save, take the three points, a massive three points for us, so I’m very, very happy.”
In another interview, with Sky Sports, David De Gea explained how he initially thought the spot-kick would be taken by Declan Rice. However, Noble came in as a late substitute just to take the penalty, but the Spanish keeper ended up reading his kick beautifully well. “I saw [Declan] Rice with the ball, so I was expecting him to take the penalty,” he said.
“Then I saw Noble with the ball. It was the last minute of the game [and] I made the save. [All I was thinking was] Just save, save the ball, save the penalty, help the team to win. It’s always difficult to play here against West Ham so [we are] really, really happy.”
At full-time, De Gea was mobbed by colleagues and coaching staff as the away section of the stadium erupted in joy. “Amazing,” De Gea said of the moment. “It’s difficult to describe with words to save the penalty at the end of the game, make the team win, all the fans, my team-mates, the staff, all together as a team, it was great.
“I think we reacted very well after the defeat in the Champions League. We were together, we fight until the end. We said in the dressing room we came here to take the three points and we did it, so we are really, really happy.”
After the match, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer heaped praise on David De Gea following his late penalty save. “You know he’s a top keeper, everyone loves having him behind them,” Ole told MUTV.
“He’s come back focused, really determined, with a desire to show who he is. It’s his 11th season and we’ve never stopped believing in him, and it’s important that he also knows that. He came in pre-season and said: ‘I know I’m supposed to be rested but I want to come back early’ and that just shows his determination.”
