Manchester United succumbed to their 1st defeat in the Premier League and 3rd in all competitions so far in the season. Solsjaer’s men failed to create an impact in the game. Aston Villa finally got their breakthrough in the 88th minute.
Kortney Hause netted the ball from a corner kick and it was some match-winning header from the English international.
The defender made the first league start and it was a special one for him. Dean Smith’s side last win at Old Trafford was in December 2009 and it’s been a long time since then.
And it was followed with a devastating moment for the United home fans as Manchester United’s regular penalty taker Bruno Fernandes completely missed the target by firing over the net.
Greenwood had the best chance in the 1st half to give his team the early lead when he came in a 1v2 situation but his shot lacked power. And it was straight to Martinez. United were on top early on, creating chances, driving forward through the spaces but could not able to finish well as every Red Devils played looked a bit off on the field yesterday.
1. Did Ole got the starting lineup wrong for Manchester United?
Why would you keep our regular winger on the bench? People often have started to call Jadon Sancho a flop signing already. If you don’t give ample game time then how do we expect him to perform well? It’s Premier League and struggling in the initial stages is always on the cards.
Going for two holding midfielders against 3-5-2 formations is something very questionable. Donny van de Beek despite having a good game against West Ham had to make his way and started on the bench yesterday.
Though Fred hasn’t done anything silly yesterday but keeping a player like DVB and using him in the second-string team is a bit harsh. 6 defensive players and still we concede goals in every game.
2. United found it hard to find the shots on target.
Martinez didn’t have anything much to do as Manchester United had only four shots on target out of 28 which isn’t a great stat. Few unnecessary shots from Greenwood and Ronaldo were simply awful and it seems both had a bad day at the office.
The only threatening one was the shot from Maguire from a set-piece. Still a decent one according to PL goalkeeping standards. The final finishing was not at all threatening in the entire game. It’s quite hard to believe that Ronaldo was quiet in the entire game yesterday.
3. Fiasco penalty taking decision.
We all know Bruno Fernandes has been our regular penalty taker. But why risk things at the crunch moment when we have a beast on the field. After a handball on Villa’s match-winner Hause, United had the best chance to steal a point at least. Ronaldo has been doing it always for Portugal.
But it was eventually wasted by the Portuguese International as he blasted off the top of the crossbar. Bruno’s last penalty miss was against Newcastle United and this one may haunt him for few days.
4. Solskjaer may or may not be the one for Manchester United.
Solskjaer may have good winning records against big clubs but will be it be enough according to United standards? Definitely not. It’s been almost four years since we last won a trophy and it’s high time to keep up the momentum.
Undoubtedly Ole has transformed the United squad hugely but if we cant yield results with the quality of the squad we have. Then what’s the point of doing so.
If anything goes against his plan A then he is not left with plan B. The Red Devils had a disappointing day in the attack and in the midfield as well. Cavani should have been brought a bit earlier. These are the type of players who can provide you the goals and proves us as match winners.
5. Maguire and Shaw’s injury.
Due to their respective injuries, Ole was forced the make his substitutions. As a result, he couldn’t able to bring on fresh legs in the attack. The defense also looked in shambles. The winning goal should have been dealt with properly inside the penalty box. This was United’s first goal been conceded from a set-piece since the 4-2 defeat to Liverpool (11 games).
Lindelof and Dalot had to come on in place of them. We all hope that the injuries aren’t that serious as very important and tough fixtures are on their way.
