David De Gea’s exceptional display saved Manchester United’s blushes as Jose Mourinho’s men somehow escaped with a goalless draw from a match dominated by Sevilla.

It was a performance to forget for the Red Devils in what was their first Champions League last-16 match since 2014.

United struggled to contain Vincenzo Montella’s side throughout, with De Gea required to produce a string of saves as proceedings somehow ended 0-0.

Here, we anaylse De Gea’s performance.

STATISTICS 

Saves – 8

Claims – 1

Passes – 32

Pass accuracy – 34%

Touches – 47

Clearances – 1

Aerials won – 1

Long balls – 28

Accurate long balls – 7

Dispossessed – 0

30-SECOND REPORT

United, playing away from home in a two-legged tie, were set up to avoid defeat. They showed little attacking intent and lacked the fluidity to produce much of note in the opposition’s half.

As a result, they were made to soak up pressure for long periods and David de Gea, their last line of defence, was called into action time and again.

He pulled off two world-class saves in particular to bail his team out in a near perfect performance on his part.

GOT RIGHT

Shot-stopping – Making saves is a goalkeeper’s primary objective and no one does it better than David de Gea. The Spaniard’s unbelievable reflexes were on display for all to marvel at as he produced two top-notch saves in quick succession.

Commanding presence – There were a few low drives at goal that he had to contend with as well and did well not to spill any of them. He commanded his box well, dealing with cross with ease and didn’t panic during a mix-up with Lindelof.

GOT WRONG

Communication – Despite recovering in time to make the clearance, his breakdown in communication with Lindelof could’ve been costly. He seemed to have given the centre-back a shout but when the ball was left for him, was taken by surprise.

Distribution – The Spaniard’s distribution let him down. He registered a passing accuracy of just 34.4% on the night with just seven of his 28 attempted long balls finding a team-mate. However, he should never have been forced to go long as much.

KEY MOMENTS

4th minute SAVE: Luis Muriel drops off to receive possession and drives towards the penalty box. De Gea does well to get low and save the striker’s shot from outside the area.

27th minute SAVE: Joaquin Correa weaves his way into United’s box. He beats Antonio Valencia and shoots but his low strike is comfortably collected by De Gea.

39th minute PUNCH: Ever Banega’s corner kick is a dangerous one but De Gea uses a strong one-handed punch to clear the danger

45th minute SAVE: Another corner finds Steven N’Zonzi at the back post, but De Gea is able to tip his dipping header over the bar acrobatically.

46th minute COMPOSURE: A mix-up between De Gea and Victor Lindelof is almost catastrophic for United as the defender leaves the ball for the keeper with Muriel closing down. The Spaniard is taken by surprise but composes himself and gets a solid clearance away under pressure.

46th minute SAVE: Seconds after his clearance, De Gea pulls off a point-blank save to deny Muriel. The striker is afforded a free header from close range from Jesus Navas’ cross but United’s number one produces a world class save to maintain his clean sheet.

63rd minute SAVE: Banega whips in a free-kick onto the head of Clement Lenglet, who gets away from Romelu Lukaku with ease and but sees his downward header kept out by De Gea.

VERDICT

De Gea’s outstanding saves were the highlight of his display against Sevilla. He first tipped N’Zonzi’s effort over the bar before denying Muriel with a save he had no right to make.

Despite the arrivals of Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez, De Gea is still the one who regularly delivers for United like the world class player he is. He made eight saves over the course of the 90 minutes, the most by a United goalkeeper in the Champions League since Edwin van der Saar against Barcelona in 2011.

RATING: 9/10

All statistics are compiled using whoscored.com