De Gea heroics herald Manchester United's smash-and-grab win over Wolves
Manchester United will go into the international break in high spirits following a hard-fought Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
The Red Devils and their fans have been buzzing in the last few days following the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. While the Portuguese superstar is yet to kick a ball, his soon-to-be team-mates had some business to take care of before his eventual arrival.
Last week’s 1-1 draw with Southampton was a massive reality check for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and they were given another scare when they traveled to Molineaux to face Wolves.
Despite naming an attacking line-up, the Reds struggled to create chances. They had to rely on brilliant saves from David de Gea and a superb goal from Mason Greenwood to win the game.
De Gea’s double save key to Manchester United victory
While Greenwood has been praised for his clinical finish, which gave United all three points, De Gea was the man who kept the team in the game for that long.
The Spanish shot-stopper has been criticized for his errors in recent months but has been in sensational form since the start of the season.
And on Sunday, he demonstrated why class is indeed permanent. De Gea denied Wolves' Romain Saiss twice from close range, with his save coming at a very crucial time.
Had Saiss scored, it would’ve been a tall order for Manchester United. But De Gea's amazing double save laid the platform for Greenwood to go on and score the winner.
De Gea back to his best
The rise of Dean Henderson limited De Gea’s game time last season. The Spaniard even lost his position to Henderson towards the end of the season and was restricted to playing in cup games.
However, De Gea seems to be back to his best, at least based on his early performances for Manchester United. He looks focused and motivated again.
"To be honest it was super quick, I don’t have much time to think,” De Gea said of his impressive double save, as quoted by Manutd.com.
"I made the first save and I saw the guy coming again so I just put my whole body there and I made the double save so it was a big moment in the game, because after that we scored our goal.
"So that’s why I’m here, to help the team all the time. Try to give 100 per cent every game and today was a good one."
Solskjaer confirmed last week that De Gea had returned from pre-season early, cutting off his vacation in a bid to get back in shape.
These sacrifices are clearly paying off and his return to form can only be good news for Manchester United as they look to challenge for trophies this season.