Manchester United beat Sunderland 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with Senne Lammens making his first start for the club
Senne Lammens played well on his debut for Man United
Senne Lammens played well on his debut for Man United
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Manchester United supporters sang the praises of new goalkeeper Senne Lammens following his victorious debut for the Reds. Lammens, 23, made his eagerly anticipated first appearance for United in Saturday's 2-0 win over Sunderland at home.
The Belgian arrived at Ruben Amorim's squad from Royal Antwerp for an initial £18.2million on transfer deadline day. Altay Bayindir retained his position for the subsequent three Premier League fixtures, but following the Turkey international's difficulties in last weekend's 3-1 defeat to Brentford, Amorim opted for a switch.
Lammens justified his manager's confidence with a composed display, producing a spectacular diving stop to thwart Granit Xhaka's long-range effort in the opening period before blocking Chemsdine Talbi's attempt with his legs in the closing stages.
Following the 23-year-old's intervention, the Stretford End sang: "Are you Schmeichel in disguise?", paying tribute to their iconic former goalkeeper, Peter.
Amorim will be thrilled with Lammens' showing and the outcome, which relieves the burden on his role ahead of the upcoming international break.
The fixture was portrayed as a crucial fixture for the Reds manager, amid reports that United were considering alternatives to replace him after a dismal 11 months at the helm and a dreadful beginning to the current campaign. Prior to Sunderland's arrival, his team had suffered defeat in four of their initial seven matches.
Opening-half strikes from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko provided the ideal remedy, alongside a Sunderland spot-kick that was reversed after a VAR examination. "That is the kind of game where when we're not playing well we're defending well," Amorim told BBC Sport after giving the perfect reply to his doubters.
"We had our moments, we were focussed and competitive. Not the perfect performance. Senne did really well. We were a competitive and adult team today.
"We need to win these games with a clean sheet. Good for us.
Mount also spoke about Lammens' debut. He said: "It's crucial in the Premier League keeping clean sheets, you have opportunities to score and then to maintain the clean sheet in the second half was so vital. He was solid, when we were under pressure, the option was Ben [Sesko] and we worked off that.
"Buzzing for him, everyone was around him today, it can be tough making your first start we want to be together and I felt that today so we keep moving forward."
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