(Football News) Manchester United conceded a last-minute penalty against Brighton and lost 1-0. They were hoping to make up for that loss with a win against relegation-threatened West Ham. Things didn’t go as planned for Erik Ten Hag’s men as they lost 1-0 to the Clarets. Manchester United made 3 changes as Wout Weghorst, Tyrell Malacia, and Christian Eriksen came in for Anthony Martial, Diogo Dalot, and Fred. The system was a little surprising as Bruno Fernandes played on the left with Marcus Rashford up front and Weghorst as a 2nd striker/number 10. Ten Hag’s system clearly didn’t work as they failed to score for a 2nd consecutive game.
The only goal of the match came in the 27th minute when Said Benrahma shot from 20 yards out. The shot didn’t have much power and it should’ve been a routine save but David De Gea fumbled it. There have been a lot of questions about the Spaniard’s future as his style doesn’t suit Manchester United to play progressive football.
One thing he is good at is shot-stopping but that too has been very inconsistent. Ten Hag after the game said that he still wants De Gea to stay and sign a new contract but if the mistakes continue to happen he might become 2nd choice. West Ham had the ball in the back of the net twice but both times it was disallowed.
Manchester United’s finishing was terrible as players were often shooting from long-range and tight angles. United’s away form this season has been a big concern but the good news for them is that 3 of the 4 remaining games are at home. Liverpool in what has been a terrible season are just one point behind and have lost the same number of games as Manchester United. The game in hand for Ten Hag’s men is going to be crucial with Liverpool on their tail. They have a week off which gives the squad time to get its mojo back for the final phase of the season.
Also read: Takeaways from Real Madrid’s 1st Copa Del Rey win since 2014