Man City legend defends Man Utd star who ‘shocked’ his teammates with ‘awkward’ move

Senne Lammens may be one of the most popular players at Manchester United, but on Sunday, he made the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Michael Carrick was desperate for an away win over Fulham, but he found himself staring at a third defeat in a row after a comical own goal from Lisandro Martinez.

Matheus Cunha’s 89th-minute strike salvaged a point for the under-fire boss, but the joint mistake from the Belgian goalkeeper and the Argentine defender still proved costly.

Joe Hart explains how it all went wrong for Senne Lammens

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Curiously, FotMob’s automated system identified Lammens as the Man of the Match with an 8.3/10 rating. This assessment is essentially based on the 24-year-old’s stats, highlighted by the six saves.

Needless to say, most fans and pundits would agree that the goalkeeper’s high grade is exaggerated by the data-driven system, as he was one of the two main culprits in the abysmal opener.

(Lammens’ stats vs Fulham, via FotMob)

Lammens initially made an unconvincing block on Calvin Bassey’s shot, and when Martinez played it back in his direction, he tried to stop the ball with his leg, which got caught in the ground, while he could have easily picked it up with his hands.

Nevertheless, Joe Hart insists Lammens’ mistake wasn’t as glaring as some might depict, as several factors played against the Man Utd goalkeeper, beginning with a deflection off Diogo Dalot.

“As the ball leaves Bassey’s foot, it just clips the inside of Dalot’s calf, which changes the trajectory of the ball. Which means Senne Lammens there…Look, goalkeeping sometimes is not a work of art,” said the former Manchester City goalkeeper during his appearance on BBC Sport (via SimplyUtd)

“It’s not about perfection. Sometimes when those deflections happen, you just get your body in the way. And then look to deal with whatever comes after it. Lammens has done that.

“That’s why he’s in that kind of awkward position. It shocked Lisandro Martinez; he then sees Garcia out of the corner of his eye and realises, ‘I’ve got to get a boot on this.”

Hart also noted that Lammens had very little time to assess the situation and realise he’s allowed to pick up the ball with his hands, as it wasn’t considered a backpass.

“Now again I go back into Lammens’ head, and he’s thinking, ‘Head’s a bit scrambled, is that a backpass? Isn’t it a backpass? Can I use my hands? Do I kick it?’

“He ends up making the decision. ‘Do you know what? I’m not going to take the risk, I’m going to kick it’.

“Gets it all wrong, gets his foot stuck and it’s really difficult. Now all that, that I’ve just described, this goes on in real-time. Look how quickly this happens, and then there you are, foot in the ground; who would want to be a goalkeeper?!”

Lammens & Lisandro Martinez must shake off this episode ASAP

(Photo by Carl Recine/Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Since joining the club last summer, Lammens has established himself as a key player for United. As for Martinez, he has arguably been their most consistent defender over the past few years.

Therefore, watching these two stalwarts combine to score a shocking own goal was an appalling sight for MUFC supporters.

However, these mistakes happen, and as Hart rightly pointed out, the goalkeeper was taken aback by successive incidents that occurred rapidly, leading to this freak goal.

United will need Lisandro and Lammens to be as sharp as possible after the break, as their form could loom large over the team’s results given their importance to the cause.

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