1
Despite Everton playing with a man deficit for more than 80 minutes, Manchester United ultimately lost 0-1 at Old Trafford on Monday.
This is the first time in Premier League history that the Red Devils have lost to an opponent down to 10th. Another unwanted record broken by Ruben Amorim.
The Toffees naturally adopted a low block after taking the lead, defending deep and surprisingly United played right into their hands.
Hardly anyone made runs from deep, with the team crossing aimlessly while playing for set pieces. Considering United lacked a central presence at the top due to Benjamin Sesko’s absence, it wasn’t a smart move.
Shocking tactics
David Moyes’ side had the taller defenders, who loved the aerial bombardment as they repelled almost every ball that entered the penalty area.
The hosts attempted 38 crosses and won nine corners. None of them mattered in the end. Matthijs de Ligt made this point clear after the match.
“It’s quite clear. A bad night for us. 70 minutes more or less 11 against 10, conceding a goal and not many chances created. A few, but not enough for a game against 10. A disappointing evening,” he explained IN TV.
“From our side we didn’t do enough. We didn’t get the runs or the bodies into the penalty area. They are strong in the air so we didn’t have the players to score from there.”
Matthijs de Ligt was not impressed
“We have actually played to their strengths. These are the most important aspects, but we have to look at ourselves and that is not good enough.”
“We’ve been away together for a while and trained. I think we lacked a little bit of urgency in different situations. If you lack that urgency, they get punished.”
“If you don’t score, you lose this match. We lacked the hunger to make the difference in the most important moments.”
Amorim should have adjusted things in the game, given Joshua Zirkzee’s problems on his own. The head coach’s substitution calls were once again bizarre. How United recover from this defeat will be interesting to see.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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