Crystal Palace and West Ham played out a drab 0-0 draw on Monday night, but there were still some moments of quality on show.
Jaydee Canvot, in particular, was outstanding up against Jarrod Bowen, completely nullifying the England international while also being positive in possession with plenty of runs forward.
However, Nuno Espirito Santo opted to single Dean Henderson out for praise after the stalemate, applauding the Crystal Palace No.1 for his save from Dinos Mavropanos.
Nuno hails “fantastic” Dean Henderson stop
It was a game of fine margins, and West Ham ought to have taken the lead in the opening 45 minutes after Dinos Mavropanos powered a header at goal.
However, Henderson flung out an arm to deny the Greece international, a crucial moment on his way to keeping a 12th clean sheet of the season in 32 Premier League appearances for Crystal Palace.
Discussing the save, Nuno told the official West Ham United YouTube channel: “It was a fantastic save from Dean…. in the second half, defending, it was a very tough match… the counter-attack of Palace, it’s very dangerous.”
West Ham defender Kyle Walker-Peters also praised the England international for his stop, adding: “I think Dean Henderson made an incredible save… that was probably our best chance.”
It has been a superb campaign from the former Manchester United glovesman, who can now boast 17 clean sheets in 43 appearances across all competitions this season.
It almost feels like a waste to have such a talented goalkeeper in Walter Benitez playing second fiddle to the 29-year-old. The Argentina international is highly unlikely to ever become No.1 at Selhurst Park, even more so after his rival was given the captaincy following the departure of Marc Guehi to Manchester City.
Henderson certainly did his bit against West Ham, but the attacking display will have to be a lot better from the Eagles in order to overcome Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Conference League semi-final.
