Sheffield United 3-3 Manchester United: 3 Talking Points | Premier League 2019-20

Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

It was a thriller in Bramall Lane as Sheffield United and Manchester United jostled for supremacy in a truly roller coaster encounter.

The Blades dominated proceedings from the first blow of the whistle, as they constantly pressed and wrestled possession away from the Red Devils in the first half. Sheffield forced David de Gea to make two brilliant saves in quick succession early on, but he could do nothing in the 19th minute as John Fleck popped up to put the ball beyond his reach.

Chris Wilder's men doubled the lead in the 52nd minute via Lys Mousset, thanks to some shambolic defending from Phil Jones. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men rolled back the years somewhat, as they took the lead in the space of seven minutes, with Brandon Williams, Mason Greenwood, and Marcus Rashford finding the back of the net.

The Blades, however, crashed the United victory party in the 90th minute, as substitute Oliver McBurnie stabbed the ball home from close range. In this article, we discuss a few talking points from the thrilling Premier League encounter:


#3 Manchester United were dominated in the first half

John Fleck celebrates his first-half goal
John Fleck celebrates his first-half goal

It was a painful one to watch for Manchester United fans, especially in the first half. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men could simply provide no answers to an energetic display from Sheffield United.

They were outfoxed in the midfield and down the flanks, as wave after wave of Sheffield attacking manoeuvres went by largely unchecked. The United players couldn't hang onto the ball for more than a few seconds most of the time as a result of a wonderful execution of the high press by Chris Wilder's men.

Most damning was the fact that the United players were out-muscled off the ball time and again, with Lys Mousset getting the better of Phil Jones in the build-up to the first goal an excellent example of that trend.

The United midfield was the definition of flat, and the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Daniel James were largely marooned in the final third. At the end of the first 45 minutes, United had just one shot, and The Blades recorded 7 shots, with 5 of them on target.

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#2 Manchester United's academy graduates on song

Marcus Rashford scores!
Marcus Rashford scores!

Manchester United may be renowned for shattering transfer records time and again, but in this encounter, the important questions were answered by the club's academy graduates.

The Red Devils were seemingly staring down the barrel of a gun as late as the 70th minute, with the Manchester outfit trailing by two goals. However, Brandon Williams stepped up in 72nd minute, as he whipped in a volley past Simon Moore to ignite the comeback.

Second-half substitute Mason Greenwood was on hand to pop in a Marcus Rashford cross in the 77th minute for the equaliser. Two minutes later, Rashford turned recipient, as he was on hand to receive a Daniel James assist for the lead.

Greenwood and Williams recorded their first Premier League goals, and Rashford was named the Man of the Match. It was a comeback truly made in Manchester.

#1 Tactical miscalculation from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solkjaer
Ole Gunnar Solkjaer

From the first blow of the whistle, it was evident that Solskjaer's match tactics had some serious sticking points.

The United manager deployed a 3-4-3 formation, with two flat midfielders in the form of Fred and Andreas Pereira. He also had Brandon Williams playing at left wing-back, with Phil Jones on the left side of United's 3-man central defence.

The United left flank was open game for The Blades, as Jones was continually found out. He looked uncomfortable playing there and the inexperienced Williams was of no help either. Sheffield got their opener via that route, and the gaffer hauled Jones off in the second half in a bid to change the formation.

The formation also caused United's speedy front men to be isolated, as the Sheffield high press was too much for Fred and Pereira to handle.

United took the lead after a switch to a familiar 4-3-3, however, the boss went for a conservative approach not long afterwards, as he took of Anthony Martial for Axel Tuanzebe. The Red Devils conceded not long afterwards.

Solskjaer went into the game with an unfamiliar set up, in a bid to curtail Sheffield. However, he should have gone with the usual effective 4-3-3 system, and let The Blades worry about United instead. The United manager should also have stuck to his guns after taking the lead, as his switch to a defensive orientation invited Sheffield's winning goal. Both blunders are an indication of the conservative mentality of the United boss.

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Edited by Atharva Papnoi