Senne Lammens made a winning start for Manchester United, keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 Premier League victory over Sunderland at Old Trafford. The 23-year-old goalkeeper, who joined from Royal Antwerp for an initial £18.2million on deadline day, replaced Altay Bayindir after the Turkey international's struggles in the previous weekend's 3-1 defeat to Brentford.
Lammens repaid manager Ruben Amorim's faith with an assured performance, making a diving save to deny Granit Xhaka from distance in the first half, and later thwarting Chemsdine Talbi with a leg save in the second period. The Stretford End responded by serenading him with the chant: 'Are you Schmeichel in disguise?', referencing legendary United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.
The win eased pressure on Amorim, who faced speculation over his position after a difficult start to the season, with four defeats in the opening seven league games. First-half goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko settled the contest, while a Sunderland penalty was overturned following a VAR review.
Amorim praised his team's defensive organisation, telling BBC Sport: 'That is the kind of game where when we're not playing well we're defending well. Senne did really well. We were a competitive and adult team today.' Mount added: 'He was solid. When we were under pressure, the option was Ben [Sesko] and we worked off that. Buzzing for him.'
