Edwin Van Der Sar hails Senne Lammens’ handling of Everton set-pieces after 1-0 win
Edwin Van Der Sar spoke warmly to Senne Lammens following Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Everton, praising the young goalkeeper’s composure in a chaotic defensive scenario. The endorsement matters now because Lammens’ handling of repeated, congested corners was decisive in securing a clean sheet that underpins a strong start to his United career.
Edwin Van Der Sar praises Lammens’ response to Everton corners
edwin van der sar joined the post-match conversation on Sky Sports and commended how Lammens coped with what he described as "horrible" corner routines. Van Der Sar noted the sheer congestion Lammens faced — eight, nine, 12 people around him — and contrasted it with an earlier era when a goalkeeper might have only two opponents nearby and space to come out. He highlighted Lammens’ punches and clean catches in those circumstances and praised the Belgian for producing good saves and showing good hands in his first year in the Premier League.
Senne Lammens the pivotal figure in the 1-0 win over Everton
The solitary goal that decided the match came from a single sequence of quality finished by Benjamin Sesko, but United’s victory owed as much to Lammens’ individual performance as to the attacking moment. Observers judged Lammens the team’s best player for his shot-stopping and aerial dominance, including a late key save that preserved the 1-0 scoreline. His handling of set-pieces under sustained pressure was repeatedly cited as the difference between a narrow win and a drawn or lost match.
Transfer details, early statistics and the Carrick era
Lammens joined Manchester United from Royal Antwerp in the summer for a reported fee of £18. 2m. Since his debut in a United shirt, the club have lost two league games in 19, and under Michael Carrick he has kept three clean sheets in six games. Those figures have led some to describe the transfer fee as a bargain, and the performance against Everton has been held up as evidence of a significant improvement in the goalkeeper position. The question of whether he will be the long-term number one remains, but the immediate impact is quantifiable.
Low Countries run of goalkeepers and Lammens’ Belgium links
Lammens is part of a broader trend of goalkeepers from the Low Countries breaking into the Premier League this season: he is one of five men from Belgium or the Netherlands getting game-time at top-flight clubs. The group cited alongside him includes Matz Sels at Nottingham Forest and Dutch keepers Marco Bizot at Aston Villa, Robin Roefs at Sunderland and Bart Verbruggen at Brighton & Hove Albion. Lammens has pointed to strong goalkeeper coaching in Belgium and the Netherlands, and he trains with Thibaut Courtois in the Belgium national team, naming Courtois as an example of Belgian goalkeeping at the highest level.
History, personality and recruitment implications for Manchester United
Lammens has reflected on temperament as a key trait, saying calmness and steadiness help him bring peace to the defence — a quality he has tried to demonstrate in recent matches, noting "I've done a pretty good job at it in these past games. " The club’s decision to sign him draws an unlikely historical footnote: had Alex Ferguson succeeded in his mid-1980s bid for Jean-Marie Pfaff, Lammens might not be the first Belgian to represent Manchester United. The current recruitment model has been highlighted by commentators as successful; one view in the wake of the Everton game urged Christopher Vivell to continue making data-backed signings, using Lammens as an example of transfer strategy paying off.
