Wednesday 6 December 2017 14:47, UK
David de Gea may have to reproduce more of the record-equalling heroics he displayed at Arsenal last weekend if Manchester United are to cut Manchester City's eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League in the eagerly-anticipated Manchester derby on Super Sunday.
Using the Premier League expected goals data, De Gea's saves have effectively earned United points in four games this season, including turning a defeat into a win against Arsenal last Saturday. He has also kept clean sheets in three matches where the expected goals of United's opponents have exceeded one.
That form sees De Gea way out in front for expected goals prevented in the Premier League this season - his 11.2 is almost twice as good as his closest rival in that category, Burnley's Nick Pope.
The 14 saves De Gea made in United's smash-and-grab win at the Emirates equalled a Premier League record since Opta began compiling such data in 2003. The only other goalkeepers to notch up 14 saves in a single match were Tim Krul and Vito Mannone, both in the 2013/14 season, and both also in London.
De Gea's opposite number on Sunday will be Ederson, who along with Kevin De Bruyne is one of only two Manchester City players to have started all 15 Premier League games this season in their storming start.
With City's attacking prowess and dramatic late winners taking the headlines, Ederson has been afforded a relatively untroubled start to his City career - his tally of 20 saves this season is far fewer than De Gea's 53, which is second only in Premier League terms to Lukasz Fabianski on 61.
But should he continue his early form, Ederson could be on course to become a Premier League icon for City - his minutes per goal conceded rate is the best for the club in Premier League history, while Joe Hart's club-best record of a clean sheet in 41 per cent of his appearances is also in his sights.
De Gea's stats in the same categories are some way off the standards set by the heroes of United's recent goalkeeping past such as Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar. But not many at Old Trafford would swap De Gea for anyone else, past or present, at the moment, and it is not inconceivable that he could make a vital contribution in the title race when City visit on Sunday.
