Manchester United recorded their sixth-straight win in all competitions under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday with a 1-0 win at Tottenham in the Premier League.
Marcus Rashford proved United's matchwinner but it was goalkeeper David de Gea who proved their hero with a string of excellent saves in the second half.
It was a typical display from the Spaniard who is arguably United's greatest-ever goalkeeper. Sportsmail compares the 28-year-old to two other Red Devils shot-stopping legends in Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar.
SHOT STOPPING
There isn't a lot to choose between the trio in this area - as they all boast different characteristics.
Schmeichel's iconic star jump proved a brilliant foil against opposition attacks, while Van der Sar's elasticity and De Gea's feet have denied many - with the latter emphasising that once more at Wembley on Sunday.
Based on stats alone in the Premier League, it would appear that Van der Sar is ahead of his contemporaries. The Dutchman enjoyed 90 clean sheets from 186 games - a clean sheet percentage of 48.4 per cent. He also conceded a goal every 116.8 minutes - a figure better than De Gea (91 minutes) and Schmeichel (105.5 minutes).
At the age of 38, in 2009, Van der Sar broke a 31-year league record for the most minutes without conceding a goal - in a testament to his long-lasting powers. It took a mind-blowing 1,311 minutes before he was beaten again - a run which included 14-straight games with a clean sheet against opposition which included Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea.
DISTRIBUTION
As the game continues to evolve you can see the notable change between Schmeichel, Van der Sar and De Gea in this specialty.
Schmeichel's arrival to English football coincided with the introduction of the backpass rule at the dawn of the Premier League era. Keen to improve his ability with the ball at his feet he requested to join in with outfield passing drills. At the forefront of goalkeeping in the 90s this aided his development in keeping ahead of the curve as he became an accomplished 'sweeper keeper'. However, his greatest attribute was his distribution via his hands. A handy handball player, the Dane would arrow missiles at his team-mates to start quick counter-attacks.
Van der Sar was a hybrid of Schmeichel and De Gea in this sense as his glorious playing career spanned both eras. Not possessing the throwing distance with his hands as Schmeichel, he was a better distributor with his feet - often providing a calming influence and excellent starting base in defence for their attacks.
Meanwhile, De Gea is not only excellent stopping attacks with his feet he is also brilliant at starting them for the Red Devils. With the emphasis of the 'sweeper keeper' more prevalent than ever before, De Gea fits the mould perfectly in this sense. The Spaniard provides an ease with the ball at his feet that some of United's current centre backs do not.
COMMAND OF AREA
This is an area that Schmeichel wins hands down. At 6ft 3in, the Dane was a behemoth in goal for United - something his team-mates and opponents knew about. United's backline could expect a rollicking if they didn't listen to his orders while he wasn't daunted by opposition aerial assaults.
Van der Sar and De Gea are of slimmer builds than their predecessor, however the former had the centre-back brilliance of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to help him dominate his box.
De Gea did too, but he struggled initially in this area upon his arrival from Atletico Madrid in 2011. After years of adding muscle this didn't become a problem any more, but the Spaniard is yet to play in front of a stable defence since Ferdinand and Vidic left the club.
TROPHIES
Like the section above, Schmeichel emerges victorious with eleven major trophies at the Theatre of Dreams compared to Van der Sar's seven and De Gea's four.
Schmeichel's honours read five Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup, one European Cup and one UEFA Super Cup in eight years. It's no coincidence that United enjoyed a trophy-laden spell upon his arrival there. The Old Trafford outfit had not won the English championship since 1967 and hadn't competed for the European Cup since 1969 but that all changed during Schmeichel's era.
Van der Sar's arrival to Old Trafford in 2005 helped sparked a United resurgence in the mid-2000s when it appeared that Chelsea would dominate that decade. In six years at Old Trafford he won a staggering seven trophies - four of those being Premier League titles. He also won one European Cup - providing the matchwinning moment in the 2008 penalty shootout to deny Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka. The only honour he failed to win was the FA Cup.
De Gea was signed as Van der Sar's replacement and the Spaniard has excelled in the role, albeit after an initial difficult start. His stint in goal has only brought four major trophies to date - but that's not his fault. The 28-year-old has constantly come to United's rescue over the years - as evident by his four Player of the Year trophies at the club. With their No 1 yet to commit to a new deal at the club, Ed Woodward and Co must prove to him that United can return to their former glories.
OFF THE PITCH
In April 2003, Schmeichel announced his retirement from football at the end of that season. He would end his career in Manchester, but ironically at United's local rivals Manchester City instead. Now working in television, the 55-year-old stated his desire last month to return to United in their upcoming role as Director of Football. The Schmeichel name still lives on in the Premier League with his son Kasper Leicester City's No 1 and part of their title-winning side during the 2015-16 season.
Since hanging up his gloves at United in 2011, Van der Sar has continued working in the sport - taking up boardroom positions at his first club Ajax. In November 2012 he was appointed marketing director of the Dutch giants and is now currently CEO at the Johan Cruyff Arena. He has also been linked to United's Director of Football role but described the speculation as 'nonsense'. In March 2016, the 48-year-old did come out of retirement for one game to help VV Noordwijk, of the Dutch fourth tier, secure a 1-1 draw against Jodan Boys. Van der Sar, who was part of their youth ranks for five years before joining Ajax, saved a first-half penalty in that match.
Meanwhile despite his rivalry with City, De Gea is close friends with their star striker Sergio Aguero and socialises with the Argentine when possible. The duo formed a strong friendship during their time at Atletico Madrid together. 'I hang out a lot with De Gea because we played together at Atletico Madrid. We have a good friendship. But he plays at United and I play at City,' Aguero revealed in City's All or Nothing documentary. In his personal life, De Gea lives with his long-term girlfriend Edurne Garcia after she relocated to Manchester last year. The Spain's Got Talent judge and singer also represented her country at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, with a song called Amanecer - finishing 21st that year.
ghakeem17
63
schmeical and van der sar had way better defences in front of them compared to the defenders de gea has now