Manchester United reached the FA Cup final on Sunday, beating Brighton in a nervy penalty shootout at Wembley.
That came after 120 minutes of cagey football which saw neither side able to break the deadlock, with both defences on top. It was a much-changed United back four, with Lisandro Martinez and Rapahel Varane both ruled out with injury.
And with Harry Maguire suspended, Erik ten Hag was forced to shift Luke Shaw centrally, forming a makeshift partnership with Victor Lindelof. Diogo Dalot filled in for Shaw on the left and it was left to Aaron Wan-Bissaka to contend with the brilliant Kaoru Mitoma on the opposite flank.
Mitoma has made a habit of tearing Premier League full-backs to pieces this season, but it was Wan-Bissaka that won the battle this time around. It was a performance which reminded the watching world exactly why the Red Devils splashed out £50 million to sign him in the summer of 2019.
At the time, United scouted more than 800 options before settling on the ex-Crystal Palace star and while his defensive work has never been questioned, a lack of attacking prowess has seen his place constantly come under question.
But at Wembley, it was the bread and butter of defending which earned Wan-Bissaka his flowers and a compliment from onlooking Leicester City ace James Maddison. The England international has first-hand experience coming up against the United defender, and for his money, there are few better in the world.
During the game, Maddison posted on social media: “He is ridiculously good at one-v-one defending. Probably the best in the world bar none. So many wingers run out of ideas when playing directly against him.”
It’s not the first time that such a lofty tag has been placed on the head of Wan-Bissaka either. After a match-up with Manchester City in his first season at Old Trafford, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher labelled him “the best one-on-one defender in the world”.
“It's almost become a massive rivalry this,” Carragher said during the Manchester derby in 2020. “Yes it's the two Manchester clubs, but it's Raheem Sterling against Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
“Sterling is one of the best three or four wide players in the world but Wan-Bissaka's saying: ‘Come on, you're not going to get past me’. I actually think Wan-Bissaka is the best one-on-one defender for a full-back in the world. I don't think anyone would get the better of him.”
Rio Ferdinand was another to heap praise on the 25-year-old and his role in keeping Mitoma quiet. “I think Wan-Bissaka for me [was the stand-out player],” he told his FIVE YouTube channel.
“Mitoma has been the find of the season for me, he has given every team they have played against huge problems.
“And to be fair to Wan-Bissaka, he put the shackles on him. And we all know how good defensively one vs one Wan-Bissaka is and today he proved again he can handle top class players in good form. When it is me against you, he is as good as anyone out there.”
