“That’s life” is a famous classic standard by Frank Sinatra about the ups and downs that all of us experience has we got about our lives, and just how quickly our fortunes and misfortunes can change. When it comes to highs and lows, at least for this week in the sporting world, perhaps no one knows that better than Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.
Having committed the fatal error that conceded the game winning goal at Young Boys in midweek, in UCL competition, the English international was the prime scapegoat for the European defeat.
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That was Tuesday, the nadir of lows. Today, he experienced the zenith of highs as he came on late to score the match winner in 89′ at West Ham United.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer subbed him on in the 73′ for Paul Pogba (who wasn’t the same player in this game, due to his early entanglement with Kurt Zouma and the knock it caused) there was, understandably so, a lot of cyber groans and postings of skepticism from United fans on Twitter. They were all forced to eat their words when Lingard went top right corner with an absolute howitzer!
It put United up 2-1 late, but there was still one last plot twist remaining. United thought an extra time foul was committed on Cristiano Ronaldo, but a VAR check ruled a penalty on the opposite end for West Ham.
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Mark Noble, the longest serving current West Ham player, came on for Jarrod Bowen to take the PK, despite being cold for this game. Maybe that was the wrong call by Hammers boss David Moyes, as he missed the free kick.
It was a heroic moment for United keeper David De Gea, who saved his first penalty since 2014-15. While De Gea was definitely a hero/the hero, today still belonged to Jesse Lingard, who was met with a lot of cheering from the West Ham faithful when he scored.
In response, as a show of respect, he did not celebrate the goal.
It was all about love, on both sides, from his loan stint with the Hammers last season, and how successful it was. The circle of life completed for Jesse Lingard today.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.