David de Gea vs Ederson: Who is better?
By Sean Walsh
It's rare for two rivals to have such era-defining goalkeepers, but that's exactly what Manchester United and Manchester City fans have been treated to in recent years.
In the red corner, David de Gea has spared Man Utd's blushes on dozens of occasions, sealing four of the club's player of the year awards and making the PFA Team of the Year five times.
For City, Ederson has proven to be Pep Guardiola's model goalkeeper, effectively acting as an 11th outfielder and forcing half a a decade of 'are we sure he couldn't actually play in midfield?' debates.
But which goalkeeper is better?
As part of 90min's Rivals series, we're here to find out.
1. Shot stopping
When it comes to trying to keep the ball out of the net, there have been few better in Premier League history than De Gea.
Unfortunately for him, the Spaniard has had to put up with plenty of shoddy defending, often proving to be the reason Man Utd aren't embarrassed on a more regular basis.
You could probably make a neat short film of De Gea saves, and he has a sensational collection of individual games where you stop and wander if he's not actually a living cheat code.
Ederson isn't necessarily a bad shot stopper, but there's no contest when it comes to his United counterpart.
Winner: De Gea
2. Distribution
While De Gea is an ace at stopping the ball, he isn't as successful at kicking it.
Hell, he could be even a good or great kicker and he still wouldn't hold a torch to Ederson, who may as well be wearing a sky-blue shirt at all times with the way he can ping a pass.
Where the likes of Peter Schmeichel and David Seaman were pioneers in making traditional goalkeeping fashionable in the modern English game, Ederson was the trailblazer for the next generation, offering his team something that isn't just the use of his hands.
Winner: Ederson
3. Sweeping
Alright, De Gea isn't a total liability with the ball at his feet, but there's a glaringly shocking reason why fans on social media call him 'De Glued to his line'.
United's number one doesn't have many weaknesses, but too often has he been caught out for playing it safe and remaining on his goal line when he should be narrowing down a striker's angle, let alone sweeping up.
As mentioned, Ederson possesses the traits of a modern keeper to a very high level, and that includes his ability to mop up should City be faced with a long ball over the top or through the lines. It's not quite Manuel Neuer standing on the halfway line stuff, but it's close enough.
Winner: Ederson
4. Leadership
This is hardly a knock on Ederson who is largely flawless, but he doesn't scream 'leader'.
Maybe that's because so much of Man City's defending is about pressing and not just relying on the goalkeeper to make saves and start shouting for the camera. Maybe it's harder to stand out in this aspect when Pep Guardiola is on the touchline trying to be everyone's leader.
Nonetheless, De Gea has shown on and off the pitch that he is a core figure at Man Utd. Part of this is simply down to longevity and the fact he is often the fall guy in post-match interviews when his side are on the wrong end of a thrashing, but that doesn't make him less of a leader.
Winner: De Gea
5. Results
The players were too close for us to decide on our own, so we decided to throw it over to you guys for the final say.
In an extremely tight poll, which saw each goalkeeper ahead at various points, it was De Gea who you decreed to be the better of the two - the Spaniard taking home 52% of the votes cast compared to Ederson's 48%.
Winner: De Gea