David de Gea has described Manchester United’s victory at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League as ‘massive’ and believes it can fill the team with confidence going into a tricky run of fixtures.
United made the trip to Paris on Tuesday as underdogs, against a team boasting the attacking talents of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria.
There were no signs of trepidation from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, as they played on the front foot and took a deserved lead through Bruno Fernandes’ 23rd-minute penalty.
PSG were given a lifeline when Anthony Martial turned the ball into his own net early in the second half, but they did not wilt and Marcus Rashford’s excellent low strike on 87 minutes sealed the win.
“It’s massive,” De Gea told MUTV after the game. “You play away the first game against PSG and you know they’re a difficult, top team. To get the three points today for us is massive.
“It gives us confidence to keep going and now we have another big game on Saturday. We need to keep going and winning games.”
United face Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday followed by a visit of RB Leipzig in the Champions League next Wednesday. Games against Arsenal and Everton await at the start of November, and the coming weeks could go a long way to shaping their season.
The win at the Parc des Princes came 19 months after their famous comeback success over PSG in the knockout stages of the 2018-19 Champions League, and De Gea feels the victory indicates that they belong in the top bracket of the European game.
“We had good memories of this stadium from the last time we played here,” De Gea said. “It was amazing but today we showed again we are Manchester United. We can beat big teams like PSG, playing well and creating good chances.
“I’m really proud and really happy for all the players, for the team and for the club, for everyone. That’s why we are Manchester United.”
United’s decision to keep Dean Henderson at the club this season has put added pressure on De Gea’s shoulders, as the former Sheffield United loanee is a genuine rival for the No.1 jersey, but it appears the Spaniard is relishing the challenge and he made two excellent stops to deny Mbappe and Di Maria.
De Gea made five saves in total, and felt all were important in helping the team secure the win.
“I always say that any save is important to help the team,” he said. “I’m here to help and I played a good game today, like the whole team. We fight for the three points and we get them.”
