THE QUIET MAN Joe Ganley: There was so much to enjoy yesterday: most obviously, those instantly classic screamers from Dorgu and Cunha, and the spirit and boldness United showed after Arsenal scrambled a late equaliser. But I’d like to offer a few words in praise of Lammens – the 23-year-old goalkeeper who plays like he’s a decade older (in a good way). The Belgian didn’t have it easy. As everyone knows, Arsenal put goalkeepers under huge pressure at corners and set-pieces, making the six-yard box feel like Euston station at 6pm on a Friday night, so the referees and VAR have no real way of policing any shoves, pushes and pulls. It worked for them in the 84th minute, when Mikel Merino scrambled home, but Lammens’s composure and authority were near flawless throughout the rest of the game. It’s so nice to have a keeper that catches the ball; who clearly gives confidence to his back four. He was jokingly compared to Peter Schmeichel after keeping a clean sheet in his first game, against Sunderland, but the former Red he most reminds me of is Edwin van der Sar. In that you rarely notice him (again, in a good way). He just goes about his work calmly, cleanly and efficiently, with the odd brilliant save (Zubimendi, Saka) to remind you he’s pure quality. Like Dorgu and Heaven, he represents another tick in the box for United’s recruitment department, and so clearly boasts the rock-solid temperament you need to play for a huge club. Before I go, I’ll also mention Dalot and Shaw too. Like Lammens, they don’t grab headlines, but yesterday, they did not put a foot wrong.
