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HISTORY was repeated for the second time in eight days at Manchester United.
And David De Gea will once again be sitting uncomfortable looking at home.
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United reached the round of 16 of the Carabao Cup with another three-goal away win, following their 3-0 win at Luton.
But once again, in almost eerie fashion, goalkeeper Dean Henderson provided a brilliant moment to keep his team 1-0 ahead.
And like the tie at Kenilworth Road, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was grateful for his goalkeeper’s outstanding save with United and then jumped up to score a pair of goals.
Henderson’s conspicuous one-handed save to deny Leandro Trossard not only proved that this goalkeeper is a great talent.
But also that he is ready to replace De Gea in an instant when he makes mistakes on a regular basis.
Judging from last season, that moment could come soon.
And the same goes for Jordan Pickford with England even though Nick Pope appears to be Gareth Southgate’s unofficial number two at the moment.
Henderson, who came to United as a teenager before being loaned to various clubs, will not forget his United debut at Luton.
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And on a lousy night on the south coast, the 23-year-old proved that his concentration levels are supreme because during periods, as in Luton, he had little to do.
This skill is the sign of a great goalie, rather than one who makes nine decent saves before conceding a soft one.
Otherwise, this wasn’t a game United fans would want to remember, but they won’t mind if they end up winning their first trophy since 2017.
But they won’t if they keep playing Odion Ighalo.
He put on a laborious 79-minute performance at Kenilworth Road and was no better against Brighton before, thankfully, he was retired after Henderson’s save.
Earlier, he blew the first decent chance when he circled Jason Steele, but got his effort into the side net.
Juan Mata played the smart pass and came after an impressive but patient build by United.
Brighton improved however.
Bernardo caused some trouble down the left and his first opportunity came when Alireza Jahanbakhsh forced Henderson to make a low save to his right.
However, a completely disappointing first half ended with a goal from Scott McTominay.
Mata discovered a burst of rhythm from somewhere and passed Dan Burn before taking a cynical foul from the home defender, who deservedly earned a yellow card.
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But Mata got his revenge when McTominay faced his outstanding free throw, to which Bernardo allowed a clear run to goal, which seemed to have completely disconnected.
The only player close to McTominay was Eric Bailly, but the Scotsman ignored him and nodded.
Brighton coach Graham Potter will have been upset that his team had defended so well up until that point when they were guilty of shutting down completely.
The good play by Spanish midfielder Mata also means he has been directly involved in 12 goals in his last 15 starts for United with four goals and eight assists.
With Brighton improving and United looking moderate, with Ighalo desperate in the lead, Henderson made that good save from Trossard in the 67th minute.
And like that game in Luton, United improved once they brought in the cavalry from the substitute bench.
Paul Pogba’s pass was met by a glittering heel from Donny van de Beek with Mata directing a shot through Lewis Dunk’s legs.
And the Frenchman sealed the tie with a good free kick that seemed to deflect Joel Veltman slightly before hitting the net from the post.
But once again, the man United was grateful for was on the other end.
Henderson has only played twice for United, but has made a great statement of intent.
At least for the moment, we will only see Henderson play in the next round of the Carabao Cup and maybe some Champions League match.
But clearly, this is a guardian with incredible self-esteem who, to put it politely, is very trusting.
However, he is proving that he can walk the road as well as speaking a good game and United’s longtime number one goalkeeper is now facing a hellish battle for his place.
At this rate, Henderson could be United’s new No. 1 for Christmas.
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