'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQb/2gAIAQEAAAAAjH//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG/9oACAECEAAAACv/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAEDEAAAAC//xAAjEAABAwMCBwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEAAYSEVEFEyEjMmGh/9oACAEBAAE/AHbRjuQnGI6g1KHcacwRiNwRj916bULN4OQC8mRzT54LATr6r//EABkRAAIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDAAIEEf/aAAgBAgEBPwBmx4A5af/EABcRAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACIQP/2gAIAQMBAT8AfRpT/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Manchester United faced Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup on Saturday night. The Red Devils had a rather tough ride to the Quarter Finals, facing strong opposition on the way.
United defeated Reading at home and then Arsenal and Chelsea away, scoring 7 goals and conceding just 1. However, they were about to be tested by a resolute Wolves side.
United started the game carefully, preferring to hold on to the ball a tad longer. Wolves had to chase the game in the initial stages, as United had most of the possession. However, the home side grew into the game and also had a few chances of their own. The first half ended with the score at 0-0, but Wolves had come pretty close, with only a good Romero save keeping the home side away from scoring.
However, the home side took the lead in the second half, capitalising on some poor defending from United. Wolves doubled the lead through Jota in the 76th minute, before Rashford got one back for United in the dying minutes of the game. United lost the game 2-1 and are out of the FA Cup.
While the whole team was at fault, there were a few men whose lack of impact on the night cost United dearly. Today, we take a look at 5 men who were poor for Manchester United against Wolves.
#5 Diogo Dalot
The young Portuguese had been a bolt of energy in the United side of late and started at right back as Young got a deserved rest. Solskjaer understood Dalot's attacking instincts and shifted his tactics to suit his young right back.
Dalot bombed forward every time United had the ball and hugged the touchline, drawing the Wolves defence. However, he contributed very little from those forward positions and it hurt United's chances on the night.
Dalot's display of crossing ability has been impressive of late, but the Portuguese rarely sent in crosses against Wolves. Ashley Young was a big miss not just for his leadership, but also for what he brings to the right wing. Dalot failed to grab the opportunity presented to him and was very poor on the night.
#4 Chris Smalling
The Englishman has been stellar of late and has managed to bully opposition strikers with ease. He was the steel in the defence alongside the silky Lindelof. However, it was the Swede who brought the crunch tackles and the defining headers into the game, while his defensive partner failed to assert his authority in the game.
Smalling is generally known to be pretty strong inside his own box, but he afforded Jiminez the time and space to make a turn and score the decisive opener. The Englishman failed to close down the striker and United paid the price. It gave wind to Wolves' sails and the home team grew in confidence.
United had to chase the game from then on and it opened up spaces for the home team to run into. They used counter-attacking strategies and United who had thrown bodies forward in the hopes of getting the equaliser, paid the price when Diogo Jota scored the second.
#3 Jesse Lingard
Lingard was full of running but failed to have any impact on the night. He started on the right forward position and tracked back regularly, but was poor with his choice of passing when going forward. Because of his off form, United failed to counter effectively and it cost them the game.
The Englishman started on the right side of the front three but had the freedom to chose his positions as per the momentum of the game. When Dalot pushed forward, it gave Lingard great opportunity to free himself and put the defence under pressure, however, the English forward failed to capitalise.
United tried changing things around and shuffled their front three as is the norm, but Lingard had a hard time finding his footing. With his ineffectiveness, United lost their tooth in attack and failed to put the Wolves defense under any pressure. He was correctly substituted in the 84th minute, but should have come off a lot earlier.
#2 Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera's presence in the team sheet sent a wave of optimism among the United faithful. United had missed his teeth in the middle of late and his presence meant that the preferred midfield of Matic, Pogba, and Herrera was back in the field once more. However, his return to action did not turn out how he would have liked.
The Spaniard seemed cautious on the night and also stayed a bit deeper in midfield. Maybe he was not fully fit, but Herrera took time to find his feet on the ground and his usual bite was missing. There was no ferocious closing down, very few late runs, and a lack of ambition. And it affected the away side.
United looked short staffed in midfield, lost the battle, and could not summon up clear cut chances. Herrera had very little impact in the first half and his number was already up before Wolves scored.
Solskjaer will be hoping that the international break will help his midfield dynamo get better because United missed the old Herrera against Wolves.
#1 Paul Pogba
The Frenchman has been guilty of switching off in games, but since Solskjaer's arrival, those off days had been rare. Pogba is the heart of this United team and it is clear that when he does not play well, United find it hard to break down the opposition. Under Solskjaer's guidance, his teammates had often taken up the responsibilities whenever Pogba had a hard night. Unfortunately for him, no such thing happened against Wolves.
Pogba was slow right from the start and failed to live up to the occasion, even though he had the armband on. As a midfielder, he was busy, but ineffective, as the creative heart of the team, he was lost.
Granted, the static front men did not do him too many favours, but Pogba has the ability to see off rigid defences with a stroke of the ball, yet seemed directionless. United, sadly, had no one else to count on.
But it was the fact that he lacked inspiration as the captain that should worry the United management. He failed to charge his troops and lacked that die-hard spirit of United captains that has often helped the Red Devils mount comebacks in games.
