Sheffield United 1-2 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points as Red Devils secure back-to-back wins | Premier League 2023-24

Diogo Dalot's sensational strike handed Manchester United all three points as they beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday, October 21.

Coming into the game, the Blades had a rotten start after their promotion from the Championship. They had secured just one point from their first eight games and were hoping to turn things around.

Manchester United, meanwhile, needed a late brace from Scott McTominay to beat Brentford. They had just 12 points from their first eight games.

The hosts were the better side through the first half, generating multiple chances. Oli McBurnie spurned a good chance on the rebound after Gustavo Hamer's initial effort was blocked by Harry Maguire.

United managed to open the scoring against the run of play. Bruno Fernandes found McTominay in the box and the Scotsman's effort rolled into the back of the net (28').

Their lead did not last long as McTominay went from hero to zero. The midfielder was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box, giving the Blades a penalty. McBurnie stepped up and made no mistake, making it 1-1 in the 34th minute.

The Red Devils then began to grow into the game, with Fernandes and Sofyan Amrabat hitting the crossbar either side of half-time.

Their pressure paid off in the 77th minute when Dalot's long-range effort went in despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to it.

United managed to close the game out to secure back-to-back wins. Here are five talking points from the game.

#5. Manchester United had a poor first half

The Red Devils continued their trend of having subpar performances in the first period. Against a Sheffield United side they should have dominated, Ten Hag's men were clearly second-best for a long time.

The Blades had multiple chances to open the scoring and kept it level until the visitors found their footing. Sheffield United had seven shots on goal and four on target, compared to United's six and three, respectively. The hosts also had more corner kicks (2 to 1) and more throw-ins (11 to 7).

#4. Marcus Rashford's starting spot could be in trouble

The star winger has failed to impress this season after a terrific 2022-23 campaign in which he bagged 30 goals. Like in many games before this one, the 25-year-old is seemingly suffering from indecisiveness, which is affecting his role in the build-up as well as in finishing.

He had no shots on target in this match and lost possession 15 times. The Englishman also didn't have a single accurate cross and lost most of his ground duels.

#3. Sheffield United are in a lot of trouble

The newly promoted Blades look like certain candidates to go back down to the Championship at the end of the season. With just one point from their first nine, they face an uphill task to get out of the bottom three. They have just seven goals all campaign and need to improve in front of the goal to change their fortunes.

#2. Scott McTominay's interesting night

The Scottish midfielder became the hero for Manchester United fans after coming on against Brentford and bagging a sensational brace. He opened the scoring for the side in this match as well.

However, he conceded a penalty just minutes later, undoing his own good work and was later subbed off in the second half. He got a start due to Casemiro's injury.

#1. A good tribute on an emotional night for Manchester United

United fans were shocked by the news of Sir Bobby Charlton's passing earlier on Saturday.

Erik ten Hag was effusive in his praise for the legend ahead of the game, noting his contributions on and off the pitch. The Red Devils stepped up and managed to take all three points home in what has been a difficult campaign for them.

They will be hoping to rally behind these two consecutive wins ahead of the Manchester derby next week.