Manchester United: LVG reserves high praise for David de Gea following Stamford Bridge heroics

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has singled out David de Gea for special praise following their 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday (7 February) after the goalkeeper put in yet another virtuoso performance to win a point for the Red Devils as they continue to chase a place in the top four of the Premier League. The Spaniard has been one of their best players this campaign following his return to the squad after being initially overlooked due to the transfer fiasco involving Real Madrid in the summer.

The 20-time English champions were on course for all three points at Stamford Bridge until Diego Costa levelled the scores in injury time, and then would have made it 2-1 if not for De Gea, who denied his international teammate with a point blank save. He also made other crucial interceptions during the game and the Dutch manager has acknowledged the Spain international's contributions.

"I have to say he did a couple of saves! I have also said sometimes he is also there to stop shots or headers. But now he was remarkable because they were nearly goals I think. But he did fantastically," Van Gaal said, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News.

Red Devils skipper Wayne Rooney has also echoed the manager's comments and labelled De Gea the 'best goalkeeper in the world' following his heroics against the Blues. The England international admitted that the draw felt more like a defeat after they threw away two points with just about three minutes left to play.

"I think David again made some incredible saves. I've said before he's probably been the best goalkeeper in the world in the last few seasons and, again, he made some important saves to keep it at 1-0 for a long time," Rooney told United's official site.

"Unfortunately, the goal at the end has got Chelsea a point. It's a disappointing result, particularly after conceding late on, and it feels a bit like a defeat," the forward added.