It said so much about Manchester United's team performance against Paris Saint-Germain that the club's 'official' Man Of The Match barely got a mention in many post-game conversations.
It was a sign of David de Gea's enduring popularity, as well as his solid display between the posts in Paris, that the fans voted him as their pick of the bunch in the French capital. Axel Tuanzebe, Fred, Aaron Wan-Bissaka or even Marcus Rashford arguably deserved it more, but De Gea has an army of online followers ready to champion him at every opportunity.
And why not. Some of De Gea's saves to deny the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar were sublime and proof that the Spaniard can still cut it at the top level. Because while United's defence deserved great credit for their performance in the 2-1 win over PSG, it would be wrong to say Mbappe and Neymar played poorly. On another night, with another goalkeeper, they might have scored a couple of goals each.
But a performance like this from De Gea suggests he could stay at the elite end of the world goalkeeping spectrum for many a year. He is not yet 30, has another three years left on his United contract and could feasibly return to those outrageous performance levels of 2014 to 2018 — when he was voted the club's player of the year on four occasions out of five.
It does not take a genius to work out why we are witnessing a De Gea renaissance this season. Former United midfielder Darren Fletcher correctly highlighted the new challenge of Dean Henderson as the key reason to De Gea's improvement, speaking in the wake of the PSG triumph.
“People wonder why Dean Henderson was kept around, it was basically to say to David ‘you’ve got a challenge now’,” Fletcher told BT Sport.
“I think [Sergio] Romero was always happy to be the second choice but now David has got a genuine contender for a number one spot and it’s bringing out the best in him.
“His performance tonight was fantastic, he kept them in the game with some great saves. David has been on top form this season and it’s no coincidence.
“Dean Henderson is a threat there now, he wants to be that number one, he’s got the confidence, but he’s got a long way to go. I’m glad to see David get back to his best form.”
Fletcher is spot on. It is no coincidence that two excellent Henderson performances in the League Cup, in which the former Sheffield United loanee kept clean sheets and produced good saves, have driven De Gea to better things.
The Spanish international was facing the realistic prospect of losing his United place, with Henderson unlikely to relinquish it for a long time if he gets the chance.
And De Gea will head into Carrington every day knowing that the ambitious 23-year-old is breathing down his neck. There is no way Henderson will give up the fight, which keeps the pressure firmly on. Good pressure.
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It appears to be a win-win situation for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. If either man dips in form, he gets a quality keeper. And in the current scenario, he gets two keepers trying to better themselves and each other. It's not ideal for England boss Gareth Southgate, who will be keen for Henderson to get game-time; or indeed for Henderson himself, who must now remain patient after two wonder-seasons on loan at Bramall Lane.
But it has been the perfect challenge for De Gea and further proof for United that competition for places drives the desire for excellence. They could use a similar situation in other positions, with the goalkeeping department leading the way at Old Trafford once again.
