The De Gea Factor

David de Gea underlined his importance to Manchester United as he kept Liverpool at bay at Anfield, writes Nick Wright.

There were 34 minutes on the clock at Anfield when Roberto Firmino's powerful cross found Joel Matip eight yards from Manchester United's goal.

The centre-back's first-time effort seemed certain to ripple the net, but when David de Gea is involved you can never be sure. With only a split second to react, the Spaniard stuck out his left leg and pulled off an extraordinary save.

"I tried to react quickly and it hit my foot," was De Gea's typically understated assessment in his post-match interview with Sky Sports. But others were rather more generous. Gary Neville used the words "world class" in the commentary box. Graeme Souness called it "sensational". Matip, denied his first Liverpool goal in seemingly impossible style, admitted he saved it "brilliantly".

"What I like with him is the decision he takes straight away: I'm going to go with my feet," added Thierry Henry. "Because if you go with your hand, by the time you go down it's a goal. Matip would have been celebrating. That's not the first time that he has done that. What a save. This is, for me, the best action of the match."

Indeed, in a game of fine margins and minimal goalmouth action, it was certainly a decisive moment. Jose Mourinho employed his trademark stifling tactics to good effect as United claimed the point they came for, but they departed Merseyside knowing it would have been a different story without the man between the posts.

"How many times have we seen him stopping efforts with his feet?" said Souness. "Right place, right time. It's a great reaction by Matip but an even better one by De Gea. He's alive to every situation. Whenever the ball is anywhere near him he is on his toes. He is a top goalkeeper."

Liverpool did not give De Gea too much else to worry about - he gathered their four other shots on target with ease - but his concentration never wavered. The 26-year-old was there when United needed him and it wasn't the first time. According to Opta, no Premier League goalkeeper has saved more big chances (five) this season.

His instinctive stop from Matip was just the latest example of what he gives Mourinho's side. The signings of Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic have been widely lauded, with both players having a transformative impact on the team this season, but keeping De Gea from the clutches of Real Madrid is arguably their most significant piece of business in recent years.

De Gea's ability to conjure up big saves at key moments is invaluable to United but so too is his consistency. The 26-year-old rarely makes mistakes. In fact, he has only made three errors leading to shots since the start of the 2015/16 campaign. Hugo Lloris, Thibaut Courtois and Petr Cech have all made more. This season, his 90.9 per cent save percentage is the highest in the Premier League.

"Is there anybody better now in the world than David de Gea? I'm not sure," said Neville at Anfield. "[Thibaut] Courtois I love to pieces, but this guy is just doing things that are absolutely stunning.

"He is a brilliant, brilliant goalkeeper. The save there and the one at Stoke a few weeks ago were absolutely outstanding. You need that. I don't think you can win things if you haven't got a good goalkeeper."

United's disjointed performance at Anfield suggests they still have plenty to work on if they are to kick on and win the biggest prizes this season, but De Gea's moment of brilliance was a reminder of the big advantage they have over their rivals. No one else has a goalkeeper quite like David De Gea.

Credit: Skysports.com