Michael Carrick’s unbeaten time as Man Utd manager will live to fight another day after the team drew against West Ham, but Senne Lammens is getting caught in an unfair narrative.
Benjamin Sesko saved the day with a late equaliser, making it three points won for Man Utd in the last three games, as he scored a late winner against Fulham as well.
The 1-1 draw against West Ham was a game of few chances, as Nuno Espirito Santo parked the biggest of buses in front of his goal.
Who was Manchester United’s Man of the Match vs West Ham?
West Ham United v Manchester United - Premier League
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However, in United’s goal stood Senne Lammens, who, after conceding against West Ham, is getting caught in an unfair narrative through no fault of his own.
Senne Lammens claps Manchester United fans.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Senne Lammens’ unfair narrative at Man Utd
Lammens has played 20 league games for United so far, including the West Ham game, and has conceded 26 goals.
This is a goalkeeper who was a statistical darling for Antwerp last season, preventing the most goals as per xGOT (Expected Goals On Target).
For a goalkeeper like that to concede more than a goal per game, and keep just four clean sheets in the process, is not a good look.
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Worryingly, his record is pretty similar to that of Andre Onana, who conceded 44 goals in 34 league games last season, keeping nine clean sheets.
Based on purely raw stats, Lammens has a similar record to arguably one of the worst goalkeepers in the club’s Premier League history.
As he got nutmegged for West Ham’s opener in the 1-1 draw, it is easy to draw conclusions that he’s being praised for doing the bare minimum, and the standards have slipped.
However, it’s an unfair narrative, and Lammens is not at fault for being caught up in it.
Lammens has been extremely unlucky
Judging Lammens based on pure stats would be doing a disservice to him, as those who watch Man Utd regularly would say the stats are deceiving.
What Paul Scholes said about Senne Lammens before he made his Man Utd debut
“What’s the price? 20 million Euros, that tells me he’s not a top goalkeeper.”
Paul Scholes in September 2025
Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes before the Europa League match between Manchester United and Lyon at Old Trafford in 2025 in Manchester, England.
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For starters, despite conceding 26 goals, his xGOT is 28.73, so he’s still prevented 2.73 goals from being scored, considering the shots he has faced.
Now we come to the shots faced, because Lammens has been ridiculously unlucky in that aspect.
The amount of unbelievable strikes that have been scored against United this season is baffling, and it contributes to Lammens’ goal conceded numbers inching closer to expected goals.
From Morgan Rogers’ double strike for Aston Villa to Burnley scoring twice with one shot on target, the Belgian’s goal has been cursed.
Despite all of that, he has radiated a picture of calmness and serenity, most importantly in a key stat, which is errors leading to a goal.
Bayindir and Onana always had an unforced error in their game, but Lammens has yet to concede a goal directly from his error.
The defence trusts him; his command of the box is ever-improving, he makes difficult stops look routine, and makes the routine stops as he’s expected.
He’s becoming a case of an extremely talented player for whom the eye test tells more than the raw stats.
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