DAVID DE GEA conceded his 36th penalty in a row before missing his own spot-kick.
The Manchester United goalkeeper, 30, suffered Europa League final heartbreak with his crucial effort from 12 yards.
Devastation for David De Gea
A penalty shoot-out that went all the way to the goalkeepers, but it was Villarreal that came out on top in the end…
What a dramatic ending! #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/9kmoi6lCEa
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 26, 2021
But while he would not have been expected to be required to find the net with his strike, the Spaniard failed to keep out any of Villarreal’s 11 penalties, including goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli’s, in a dramatic shootout finale.
That extended the £375,000-a-week star’s miserable unwanted record between the sticks for spot-kicks to 36 without a single save for club and country.
Incredibly, the last time De Gea did keep one out was more than five years ago – the 11th penalty save of his career.
He denied then-Everton striker Romelu Lukaku’s attempt in the FA Cup semi-final on April 23, 2016.
Since then, Lukaku has signed for United for £75m, left for Inter for £73m, won the Serie A title and been linked with a return to the Premier League.
Interestingly, in that same time period, Dean Henderson – left on the bench tonight – has eight penalty saves, six of those in senior football.
Three of those came with Shrewsbury in 2017-18, two on loan at Sheffield United including to deny Gabriel Jesus last year, and one in the Europa League earlier this season for United.
The other two were with England Under-21s at the Euros in 2019, both against France.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer threw on Juan Mata and Alex Telles in the final moments of extra-time and they duly dispatched their penalties.
But he opted against a Tim Krul-esque switch of goalkeeper for a penalty-saving specialist.
The crushing defeat means United’s wait for a trophy will stretch into a fifth year.
