Manchester United were beaten, and beaten well away to FC Barcelona. The Catalan giants controlled the match throughout and were more than deserving of their spot in the final four.
Lionel Messi’s brilliance led to their first goal, while an uncharacteristic David de Gea error cost United the second. It’s just so unlike him and time-and-time again we’ve labelled the Spaniard the best in the business.
For what it’s worth, my personal view hasn’t changed in that regard. There is nobody I’d rather have in between the sticks. He’s saved our bacon on so many occasions, it’s just a shame to see him make such a brutal mistake at a time when all eyes would be firmly fixed upon him.
Following the match, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was asked about the error by the media and his response was brilliant. There was no way he was going to condemn a player who has given us so much joy due to his individual quality over the last eight years.
“That’s unfortunate with goalkeepers,” said Solskjaer per The Mirror. “When you make an error it can get highlighted and that’ll be remembered tonight.
“But he made some fantastic saves as well, which all in all, his contribution to the team is good but sometimes that happens in football.
“You know when you get to this level you cannot slip up and you cannot make mistakes and you’ve got to take the chances you get yourself.
“And we didn’t capitalise on our great chance, but then they have their first two shots on target, that’s two goals and game over.”
That’s where I always feel sorry for goalkeepers. They save their team on countless occasions and as soon as one mistake is made, that’s all that is talked about.
De Gea is human. It was an unfortunate error in which he lost concentration for a split-second and that’s what cost him. That’s football, that’s the nature of the position, but that doesn’t take away from his brilliance and the United fans still love him.
I just hope that this incident doesn’t affect him mentally. The last thing we need going into such a crucial point in the season is our best player struggling for confidence.
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