Where would Manchester United be without David de Gea? The Spaniard is the Premier League's top-performing keeper this season, stopping eight 'expected goals' - the most in the top flight - with only Wolves' Jose Sa coming close
* Manchester United's goalkeeper David de Gea is in blistering form this season
* His statistics show he is preventing more goals than any other top-flight keeper
* United concede high-quality to chances so the Spaniard has had to be at his best
* Wolves shot-stopper Jose Sa is hot on his heels with a string of top performances
There can be few clubs in England that talk more of what it means to wear the shirt than Manchester United.
Luke Shaw was the latest to rehearse the club's values after the dismal 1-0 home defeat to Wolves. The left back said United needed more togetherness, intensity and aggression in their game.
But if the defender is looking for inspiration – or an example - he only has to take a peak behind him, at his goalkeeper, David de Gea.
De Gea has been outstanding and carried the team in another hit and miss season for United.
Manchester United's David de Gea has been a top performer for the club this season. De Gea has made a string of fantastic saves to earn points for United, including at Norwich City
He was at it again on Monday. The save from Ruben Neves' stunning first-half volley was simply sensational. A shot he had no right to stop.
And that sums up his season.
The Spaniard is currently the best keeper in the Premier League when it comes to stopping shots. He has prevented 7.5 expected goals this season, more than anyone else between the sticks.
De Gea has consistently secured points, or at least staved off embarrassment, by keeping out attempts that really should have gone in.
How much worse off would United be without him? The keeper saved superbly from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang twice in United's eventful 3-2 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford at the beginning of December.
The keeper is ranked top for saving 'expected goals' and is the best performer in the top flight
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DAVID DE GEA IS ENGLAND'S NO 1
David De Gea's current statistics make him the best performer in the Premier League, and in Europe's top five leagues, too.
Since many goalkeeping stats rely on team performance, including clean sheets and goals conceded, analysts like to look at ‘post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed’ (‘PSxG+/-’).
De Gea's score of 7.5 in the Premier League essentially means he has stopped 7.5 expected goals this season, so far. He sits ahead of Wolves keeper Jose Sa in second place with a ‘PSxG+/-’ score of 6.6.
The figure for Post Shot Expected Goals (PSxG) indicates the expected number of goals a team will concede based on how likely the goalkeeper is to save the shot. It gives an indication of the quality of chances a team is allowing the opposition to have.
In a European analysis, the Spanish publication, Marca, last week ranked De Gea number one; Sa at two, Manuel Riemann of German Bundesliga club, Bochum, in third; Stole Dimitrievski of Rayo Vallecano in fourth and Matias Dituro of Celta Vigo (both from La Liga) at five.
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He kept the team in the game at Norwich, denying Ozan Kabak and Teemu Pukki before Cristiano Ronaldo won it with a late penalty.
And the goalie's one handed tip over from Miguel Almiron at Newcastle was crucial as the Red Devils went on to claim a point.
The statistics reveal both how poorly United are defending and how well De Gea is playing. The keeper has faced more shots on target than almost any other in the Premier League. Only Leeds United's Ilan Meslier tops his 90.
Not only that, United are giving away more good chances, too, so De Gea is having to perform heroics to keep them out. Inevitably, some fly in, which means the stopper's save percentage is lower than his rivals.
It is probably no coincidence that the player who appears most committed to the United cause is one of only two (the other being Phil Jones) surviving members of Sir Alex Ferguson's 2013 title-winning team.
At that time the values Shaw and his colleagues now aspire to were not a talking point, they were part of a belief system, which De Gea still clearly still adheres to.
Failure to deliver the basic requirements to head it, kick it, save it, tackle, run, compete and stick together was not an option. And if it didn't happen the offending player was liable to be blown away by Ferguson's hairdryer.
It is fitting that the next best stopper in the top flight is De Gea's opposite number from Monday, Wolves goalkeeper, Jose Sa.
The Portuguese has been a revelation this season and even surprised his own fans, who declared it was he who is the best in the league after a thrilling save from compatriot Bruno Fernandes in injury time at Old Trafford to secure a famous win.
He has has made key stops in tight games, including United's 0-0 away draw to Chelsea. Luke Shaw admitted that despite the talents at United sometimes 'quality is not enough' to win
That stop rivalled De Gea's earlier in the game.
'Every week Jose Sa cements himself as being the best goalkeeper in this league,' @aepearson02 posted on Twitter after the game. 'Pinching myself that we got him for £8m.'
'Wolves Jose Sa is definitely the signing of the season,' added Bolarinwa Olajide. 'Best goalkeeper in the League as well.'
He has even been picked out as one of the best buys last summer by United legend and Sky pundit, Gary Neville, following his move from Olympiacos.
Sa has stopped 6.6 expected goals and has been a key factor in Wolves' parsimonious defence, which has only conceded 14 goals this term, one more than Manchester City.
The impact of the goalkeeper can be seen in the fact the West Midlands club have only scored 14 times and of the eight games they have won in the top-flight, seven have been by a margin of only one goal.
While the quality of the chances Wolves concede are not of the same calibre as United, Sa does his job well, saving 85 per cent of everything that comes his way, the highest rate in the Premier League.
The chasing pack are a long way behind the top two, but the best of the rest is Tottenham's Hugo Lloris. The Frenchman is enjoying a decent season stopping 1.6 expected goals and saving 71 per cent of the shots faced.
The in-form keeper among the England hopefuls is Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale who has pulled off some breathtaking saves this season, most notably a flying one-handed stop from a James Maddison free-kick, which he pushed onto the bar, before cleaning up the rebound, in a 2-0 win over Leicester City.
Ramsdale has a save rate of 81 per cent. By comparison Everton's Jordan Pickford and Burnley's Nick Pope are trailing in his wake.
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