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Manchester United went into Friday’s FA Cup game against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Friday expecting to win by a big margin. However, the night ended in heartbreak for the wasteful Red Devils.
Ralf Rangnick named a strong line-up comprising Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba. However, the Red Devils ended up on the losing side despite taking an early lead. Sancho opened the scoring in the 25th minute, but Middlesbrough equalised through Matt Crooks in the second half.
With no winner emerging after regulation and extra time, the game was settled with penalties. The Championship outfit converted all their spot-kicks, triumphing 8-7 to advance to the next stage of the competition.
Red Devils pay for wastefulness
In many ways, this was a typical Manchester United performance. The Red Devils should’ve killed the game long before Middlesbrough found their way back.
Ronaldo failed to convert a penalty, and was culpable of missing several other chances. Rashford and Sancho spurned some opportunities as well, while Fernandes missed an open net.
Middlesbrough’s equaliser came under controversial circumstances – Duncan Watmore clearly handled the ball before passing to Crooks to score. However, United only have themselves to blame for squandering their chances.
The Red Devils should’ve won comfortably, but they still managed to turn it into a difficult game. Football is a cruel sport, and if you don’t take your chances, you are usually punished, just as Rangnick’s men found out.
Manchester United’s old problems persist
Manchester United have struggled to reach the heights when Sir Alex Ferguson was at their helm. The legendary Scotsman left a huge void that is yet to be filled.
Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho came in and did their part by winning some silverware, but couldn’t get the team competing for a sustained period. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it wasn’t any different, as the Red Devils flattered to deceive whenever it mattered most.
On the evidence of Friday’s FA Cup exit, it’s obvious very little has changed on that front.
“In the first half, we should have easily been 3-0 up, and second half, we had chances too,” Rangnick observed, as quoted by the Guardian.
The interim manager rued not closing out the game in regulation time, saying:
“We should have won the game in normal time. On penalties, it can happen what happened today. We have to take our chances better ,and with more quality than we did today. It was our own fault – we should not have gone into extra time and penalties."
"For example, Bruno (Fernandes) chance (near the end) – if he has ten of these in a match he scores nine. Today he hit the post, tried to place it too exactly – these things can happen, obviously he didn’t do that on purpose.”
Indeed, Manchester United only have themselves to blame for the defeat. They lacked the character to close the game, and too often they allowed their opponents to have their way.
That also happened in the Europa League final against Villarreal last season, and it happened again against Middlesbrough. A new manager may be in charge, but the Reds Devils’ lingering problems persist.
