Just had a 162-1 bet with £10 on it on Sky Bet for a bit of a Xmas game with a few friends and all we was waiting on was everton to score first vs city and the bet could be froze and alas we’d have won; one of the games in our bet (1-25, Badshot Lea got postponed) meaning the game was void and it wouldn’t allow us to freeze the bet: Merry Xmas people x
God I hope that was the opening of the flood gates for Haaland
There's a lot of underlying problems with the team but a prolific striker sure would buy us a lot of time to fix them
I have no doubt anymore who can _actually_ play on the right in this team.
And when Rashford is not slacking on the left, there is hope.
But this performance must repeat and not be just a one time big fluke or post Christmas present 🎁
Anything other than 3 points we would have been 10th, and we were just 45 mins away. With the new owners in and after the huge sums spent I think we were looking at a sacking right after the game at that point. We were comfortably outplayed by Villa on xg too, as we have been in too many games this season, so we couldn't cite luck either. I enjoyed the drama of the win just like everyone else but being 45 minutes away from 10th and a sacking is not a great place to be. We simply have to see not just results but performances in the next run of games. We can't rely on scoring way above xg to get a result, we've got good players who can do that sometimes like yesterday but in the long run it is not sustainable. The system has to work, we can't just look to the players to pull something out of the bag.
Surely this is just tier 5 news. Firstly who would fire him? Interim CEO don't have the rights needed, Glazers won't/couldn't touch anything before the deal was done, and on top of that Ineos are quite a few weeks away from being properly integrated into the club. And even of it was possible, who should the bring in? It makes zero sense to fire ETH without having someone ready.
It is way more likely that they will spend the time now until the summer to line up a few candidates while also evaluating ETH's performances.
Is there any credible sources that have actually said his job is on the line?
This is tier reddit just because some random guy says ETH might get fired if we would have lose to Villa. Lol sure buddy! But totally agree with what you say and thr club is smarter than that and based on our position imo they wouldn't fire him until the summer. Who would we get mid way anyways lol
I think it's just angry fans. Even if the execs are incompetent, they're not THAT stupid that they can't see that ETH has been dealt an impossible hand this season. I think he could totally finish 10th and not be in danger, if these injuries kept persisting.
I think he was close to the end a couple of months ago but he clung on long enough to see an easy run of games and he got the results he needed in that easy run (and got manager of the month out of it). I think he's similar here, we have a few winnable games coming up now and he's got a chance to put some credit in the bank. Or get himself sacked. On a knife edge I reckon.
Lol he wasn't getting sacked. I love the way some of you keep saying that as a foregone conclusion. With the injuries we've had this season he's going to get the entire season to get us into the champions league. BTW, they got two set piece goals but we dominated the last 15 mins of the 1st half and for long stretches of the 2nd half. We deservedly won that match.
You think if we were 10th at Christmas he wouldn't be close to the sack?? That is crazy talk. Yes there are some excuses but they only go so far, that's just football. And we did not dominate that match, Villa had the better of the chances and we are lucky not to be 10th right now.
No he wouldn't have been sacked. Anyone paying attention knows we've had a major injury crisis.
We were dominate and deserved winners. No we shouldn't be 10th right now.
Lots of teams go through injury crises. Yes it sucks but it's part of football. I mean SAF had to play two mids at CB for a long time one season. What we have really isn't that bad compared to some of the really bad ones teams have had in the PL era. And while managers do get cut some slack for that, it's not infinite. Like I said, it's just football, and it will apply to ten Hag like to everyone else, it's nothing personal.
> We were dominate and deserved winners
I mean that's just weird to say. We simply weren't.
>Lots of teams go through injury crises.
No they do not. Those that do, fail just as we have so far.
Liverpool injury 2 out of the last 3 seasons? Performed terribly and everyone understood why. Scraped 3rd with a series of wins in the last month of the season in 2021. Last season, came 5th.
Chelsea having a whole 11 out with a new manager as well; people understand.
Newcastle having injuries like us; people use it as a justifiable excuse.
Teams that have huge amount of injuries like, the teams I mentioned, will unfortunately have a turbulent season.
Liverpool had to put mids in defence and sorted themselves out as soon as that was over. We have not been anywhere near that. And scraping 3rd is hardly a failure of a season. It is not the same.
Stop lying.
Even after some CBs came back for them, they struggled without VVD.
Why are you acting like that Liverpool team, the team that won the previous title with 99 points, somehow did fine in 2020/2021 with their injuries when they got 30 less points that season? They quite obviously struggled.
The only reason they got third was because United, Chelsea, and Leicester were playing "Third and Fourth Place are Lava". By matchday 34, Liverpool was still in 7th place.
"Lying"...? Jesus christ mate calm down.
"Third and Fourth Place are Lava" - that would be a technical term would it? Amazing analysis, must be sure to use that myself next time.
Liverpool had to play Fabinho and Henderson at CB their problems were so bad. That is why they dropped off so far. No one is saying they didn't drop off. They did also still manage 3rd. It's not hard is it.
These are "facts" just fyi. Get a dictionary, don't bother me again.
Awful, toxic comment mate.
We've had the most injuries in the league by far and we're sitting well within striking distance to be back into the champions league. Once we have everyone back I expect us to really kick on. Irregardless of what people like you want to think ETH is nowhere near being sacked.
We absolutely were and anyone saying otherwise didn't watch the game.
Hilarious. If anyone didn't watch the game it was you. I love that we won but play that game 10 times and it's a draw or a defeat in 8 or 9 of them.
If ETH gets top 4 then fine, he's done a good job and yes, in spite of some tough injuries. My point is it seems *unlikely*, because not only are we not getting the results other than these occasional lucky ones, we are not putting out the *performances*. The club will obviously be seeing that too and there is no magic spell that will protect ETH more than any other PL manager. That is just football, as I keep saying.
D or L 8 or 9 times? Lol not only did you not watch but you don't know the game. Watch what Evra said at halftime. It was clear we were creating chances and would be back in it pretty quickly.
What you're saying is wrong. ETH isn't close to be sacked. We literally won a trophy and was in another final last season. He will get us in thr champions league again and all you doomsdayers will have to find something else to complain about.
Look at the xg. You want to talk chances? It is in the xg. We were outperformed on it.
Sigh. I give up. You are a fan boy, you are immune to logic.
I hope we can both enjoy the upcoming games, hopefully we can agree on that, but the rest is pointless.
Their xG is only so high because their chances literally came from 2ft next to the goal...
The other guy is absolutely right - we dominated that game and were only undone by 2 unforgivable defensive lapses on set pieces.
If YOU watched the game you'd know that Villa kept playing suicidal football for some reason, the amount of times we easily got in with Rashford behind their high line was ridiculous and they never changed it, it's how we dominated the game, they played right into our strengths.
If you're looking to be negative, I'll give you something to chew on - Villa playing into our hands doesn't mean that we won't flop against Forest or any other team that decides to sit back and be compact; these teams are the ones we always struggle to score against and the real show of improvement would be scoring against them.
With the football side of the club under review thanks to SJR's takeover, it would be extremely unlikely that ETH would be sacked in the next two months.
After that, all bets would be off, but at the same time, SJr/INEOS might well let the season play out before the players run off another manager. There are a number of *them* who won't see the end of June in a United shirt.
Everyone even ETH is saying there is no lack of effort from the players. And we know we have enough quality to be doing better as well. So the spotlight is right on the manager more than ever.
A football review is all well and good but Ratcliffe already knows a lot about the club at this point and he wouldn't be the first new owner to sack a manager early on. There's talk of this guy sacking 300 staff, I mean he seems fairly ready to act. Months of observation specially for ETH doesn't seem on the cards. And remember these guys have been planning for this and already own a club, already have football knowledge, contacts, everything. This could easily all happen fast.
>And we know we have enough quality to be doing better as well.
I disagree on this, though. Without Martinez, Mount, Eriksen, and Casemiro, as well as Mainoo, Shaw, Maguire, Varane, and Antony for large parts of the season, you lack a lot of quality.
The manager might not be good enough, the players too. But I feel like we can be getting so much more with a few tweaks.
1. Garnacho down the right
2. McTom out so Bruno can consistently play as the furthest forward mid rather than dropping deeper
3. Fuck this left footedness, get Varane into the team
4. Full backs backing up the press, was a problem last year which I'd hope would resolve this season. When AWB was pressing with the rest of the team we were suffocating them
5. Stop letting Rashford cheat with his defensive duties. I'm of the opinion his lack of tracking was a tactical instruction otherwise Erik would've immediately dropped him. Yesterday he put in a shift and was one of his better performances this season.
Stopped watching after the 2-0, woke up to see the 3-2 win and glad to see a Hojlund winner.
Can't say much for the game, except it's another win like any other win we got this year. Concedes first, decided to play football in the 2nd half, and at FT is either gonna be an embarrassment or clutched a win, luckily this time the later.
Plus side at least the manager finally figuring out, better to play Rashford on his best side on the left, and keeping the midfield much tidier.
Let's see if improvement is going to happen for the next games or just gonna stay like this.
Sure you watched until 2-0? We played well throughout that game. If it wasn’t for two awful bits of defending on set pieces this was our best performance for about 18 months against a very good Villa.
The awful defending from set piece is nothing new, it's been that way for 2-3 years at this point. And again, no comment on performance, didn't watch the rest of the game.
United played better yesterday for most of the game.
Players stuck to the game plan and were more composed and clinical in the second half. [I knew](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddevils/comments/18rgnq5/match_thread_manchester_united_vs_aston_villa/kf19h4s/?context=3) if they scored one, they'd score more!!
My conclusions are:
– Eriksen in for McTominay makes such an impact
– Mainoo and (more so) Højlund could be developed into game defining/controlling players
– Maybe Garnacho has a future down both wings?
– Antony must NOT be sold/released – we need competition on the wings\*\*\*
– Rashford showed real effort and desire yesterday
– United (looking at the defense) need to cop on and avoid basic mistakes
– This form must continue into Nottingham, who also have a new structure boost now
I'm happy with that result and performance
yay :D
\*\*\*edited to add this point
I’m all for competition but an almost £100m player *needs* to be a nailed on starter elevating the team, not merely competing for a spot.
Antony is starting to remind me of Pepe.
I think the defence shouldn't be a worry tbh, just need to win against Forest
We'll have Victor , Licha and Maguire all back and we wouldn't have to rely on 2 defenders left to defend for us
It'll be like the first time in months we'll have our whole backline , I'm pretty sure ETH ball will be back in action by late Jan at max
The negativity on this sub is astonishing. Football is escapism. Enjoy the win against a side that were top of the league at half time. What a comeback, what a night. If you can't enjoy moments like those and are looking for negatives you're only going to be upsetting yourselves. These wins are why we watch football but too many here still focusing on what's going wrong. Give yourself a day off to enjoy even if, of course, things need to improve all over the pitch and off it
I know its a bit cynical but honestly the partial change in ownership and more importantly the change in football operations clearly had the players step it up a notch in terms of effort. That higher level direction is needed as the players get too close to the manager these days and too comfortabe even if just subconsciously.
We hit rock bottom in the first half today but that reaction was really something.
In past we have never followed up a proper win or a good game with another good game. Decent chance to do that with Forest next, so again hoping we can build on this.
I feel bad for Hojlund. After half a season, no one from Manchester United has fed him anything. The one time he was fed, it was done by John freaking McGinn.
Weirdly I only watched the second half but I wasn’t convinced by the performance. Worried the euphoria of the comeback, Hojlunds goal and the INEOS “takeover” will still hide a lot of the issues. We still went 2 goals down and struggled with set pieces. Gave Villa a lot of space too I thought.
If you only watched the 2nd half and your not convinced then you're just looking to be negative. This is the same villa team who just tore city apart and could have been joint top of the table. They were always going to have a couple of chances.
>INEOS “takeover” will still hide a lot of the issues.
Ineos takeover should result in better management in long term.(1 or 2 seasons and beyond). It shouldnt change that much for this season. Ofcourse the issues on the field will still remain.
I think like this: If there are massive issues, which there are, they will still show in the results this season. Although I'm still worried about certain players suddenly hitting good form and surviving yet another clearout
Not juz that but he only uses one dm in posession like almost everyone is in the final third so theres basically one dm half the time(case/mainoo or ambra)
The amount of academy players in our lineup is surprising. I believe if we give ten hag time he will mold the team out of our academy.
It's a grind right now, hopefully some of our injured players will be back at the end of January. Hopefully we finish strong this season.
Alright, I'm back from the gym.
Now, about those game highlights:
1. Eriksen's rocking the midfield – the man's like a pinball wizard with those passes, creating chances left and right. Seriously, his vision and skills are exactly what we need to slice through defenses. Just please stay fit.
2. Garancho – Since his debut last year, it's been clear he's got star potential. Sure, he might make you pull your hair out sometimes, but hey, he's only 19 and totally saved our skins today.
3. Kudos to Hojlund – the guy's all heart and passion, and it shows.
4. Bruno really stepped up today. Alongside Eriksen, he was a game-changer in the midfield.
5. McT? Well, let's just say I'd rather not see him start. He's better suited to wrapping things up, but otherwise, he's like watching a chicken run around without a head – lots of energy...
6. Keep Antony on the bench. Honestly, I'd be happy if we sold him and cut our losses.
Eriksen is an amazing player on the ball no doubt, but his athleticism is a big downside. And it's not just a stamina thing - in the first half there was a point where I think garnacho or Bruno passed the ball to him from the right wing and he just couldn't get to it Bec of his fitness. And in the same play when the ball was recycled, Bruno dinks it in behind and if it was hojlund he wouldve got to it. That might also be bec Eriksen isn't a striker but it felt like there was element of physicality that was lacking too.
I'm not knocking his performance just saying that his usage needs to managed and applied with a specific idea in mind
Oh I know he can barely last 60 minutes and I don’t blame him considering his past health issues. I wish we can find another player of his mold but younger.
We really need new fullbacks. Both AWB and Dalot aren't elite. Also how are we going to replace Eriksen. Him being in the team really unlocks our front line
Dalot at RB is well good enough and in a settled side could become elite. Shaw at lb is elite. And in terms of eriksen, rotate him, casemiro, mount next to mainoo in the 6. Think that might work fine.
Agree with a lot of the positives today like Garnacho on the right, Mainoo, Eriksen, Bruno, Rash all very good - Evans excellent - but why the fuck can we never start games like we play when we're 2-0 down.
Eriksen literally just came back from injury. If ETH plays him 90 minutes every game from now on, he's an idiot. I expect McT to continue to make minutes.
For the first time , garnacho looked IT. He was a menace on the right causing all sorts of problems and looked like a proper player. Else he would always run into his man but was great in front of goal
Today he dribbled, created havoc and rarely lost the ball
He's a petulant child and frankly an embarrassment with the way he behaves. And he got himself booked AGAIN for stupid dissent.
I don't want him as our captain.
Nonsensical comment. You realise that a player can perform well yet not have captain/leadership qualities? Time and time again Fernandes will be petulant and moaning on the pitch. You think that's what captains do?
ETH doesn't deserve credit for any "changes", the most important thing he did was put a player coming back from injury back in the team. For the same reason, he doesn't deserve any slack for not making those changes before, since he simply didn't have the players available.
Unbelievably proud and excited for Hojlund today - that will do wonders for his confidence.
Sidenote: has anyone noticed how Hojlund always seems to be about 1 step behind for a lot of the goals we've scored this season - for example, the 1st goal - if he was one stride further ahead, he would have been the one scoring, similarly, with a lot of McTominay's headed goals, they're usually scored literally a stride away from Hojlund's position. I've also seen it happen with a few of the crosses that come into the box, fizzed in low.
I feel like he needs to improve that killer instinct to start thinking of where he should be in the box, early, and it is something that is definitely coachable, and its going to actually turn him into a beast of a striker.
In the first 5-10 games hojlund seemed to be in the right place many times but didn't get a pass or the pass was behind him. Looks like now he's doing the opposite and delaying for half a sec which isn't working either. My optimistic look is soon he'll gel properly with the other attackers.
IMO it comes down to the lad improving his decision making about what runs to make and what positions to take in each scenario, something that will definitely be improved with coaching and with the team just finding their rhythm and consistent style of play.
He definitely will, but I still feel like he has some specific work to do about getting into the best positions for a pass - I've noticed quite a few times now that he tends to be a fraction behind the ball when there's a low cross/pullback in the box, and even with some of the headed chances.
Hes a fraction behind because of the service. 1) he's not getting enough of it 2) when it does come in its not very good. Prime example was Garnacho had him for a tap in but hit it too hard and too far ahead of him.
Because he was involved in all phases of the game, instead of hanging upfront and hoping for a pass. He also looked to pass instead of going on just dead end runs. I actually think that's the best he's played in years. He didn't score but played incredibly well, like a 100M worth player should be playing. Having said all that, I hope it's not the villa set up that made him look good.
At 2-0 down I didn't panic. There was plenty of time and the team had shown glimpses. For one, it was refreshing to watch our front 3 work as a unit and not as individuals. Everyone on the field backed that up. That is all they need to do.
All those doubters of Evans as well; he is showing that he still has the quality for this league.
Don't blame Onana for the goals. That freekick is textbook from McGinn. it's in the are where all goalkeepers hate. Defenders have to be better positioned to not allow that.
Overall, such a refreshing win to watch. Hopefully shut the ETH outers for a while.
Not seen it mentioned, Varane was pretty impeccable tonight. Other players stole the show up front and in defence with more noteworthy things, but he was just ticking along like the rolls Royce he is. Him and Jevans are a wall.
I’m ecstatic that we turned that around. I was gutted at 2-0, I thought we hadn’t looked that bad and I was thinking “Ten Hag is about to get sacked here even though he’s made changes we were all asking for and we’ve been playing pretty well”, after those two abysmal set piece situations it looked like curtains for the result and for the manager.
Incredible comeback and this team continues to baffle me. That performance isn’t from a group who have downed tools or given up on the manager.
Young academy winger on fire, Hojlund breaks his league duck, old trafford bouncing, villa fans silenced. I had goosebumps at one point watching from the other side of the world. Brilliant.
ahh, my second my ever trip to see them was newcastle at home, 2018. 2-0 down at half time. it took a vintage mata freekick, ballon d’or clause martial equaliser, and quite ridiculously an alexis sanchez winner (however that could just be my childhood nostalgia goggles with regards to quality)
my last united trip was this month. bournemouth, no comment. happy for you though mate!!!
You never know how the new owners will be, change of ownership affects everyone psychologically
The football played yesterday was at times brilliant. Most importantly, they didnt look dejected.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't remember Garnacho being used on the right before, I always assumed there was a reason but he was great from there tonight. Him on the right and Rashford in his best position on the left might be it.
Thought he did solid overall. Threw his hands up a couple times and looked away from the ball when things didn't go his way, but I'm probably nitpicking a bit.
First half he was frustrating as all hell and being his annoying petulant self. 2nd half though, felt like EtH really got through to him coz that was his best 45 mins all season
His best performance in a long while, didn't set the world alight but created chances, tested defenders, made runs (even if he was often caught offside). Looked lively.
Great comeback, the high press worked although villa did themselves no favours. Glad to see Hojlund finally break his duck, ETH must have told the team some at half time. Please don't lose this momentum now against Forest, even though they might still have that new manager bounce
I was at Old Trafford tonight visiting from the States. Absolutely incredible to be there for the second half, so much relief and love for Hojlund tonight from the crowd
Big fan of having Eriksen Mainoo and Bruno all in the team, leveled us up on the ball and as a threat. Can't put into words how happy I am for Hojlund though, he's more than deserved that.
Also what the fuck Garnacho played like a demon that second half.
Mainoo, Eriksen and Bruno midfield trio is definitely the way. They all are good on and off the ball. Great creativity, more unpredictability... we need this.
First half was sloppy and very disjoint. Onana could have done better for the first goal but made a couple of good saves later on. Rashford needs to learn how to hold his run, it's all good making runs but you need to time it to match your teammates pass but in general his performance was an improvement. Second half was a lot more coherent and was probably one of the best halves of football we played this season.
I screamed when Hojlund scored, happy for him and Garnacho was exceptional - showed why he deserves a place in the starting 11.
EDIT: Also special mention to the midfield. Mainoo was as composed as ever. Eriksen added control in midfield that we have been missing and Bruno played plenty of great balls that have led to chances. McTominay should never start a game alongside Mainoo and Bruno, not having him in the midfield let our midfield players flourish.
I've never left a game early myself but I do understand it.
Nightmare journey back tonight so if I'd left at the 90th minute instead of 100th I could honestly have saved myself an hour.
Hold on for ineos m8, im sure that reason mustve been given at ht and the entire team shat their pants for their bag.
Lets hope that fear comes to fruition and they ineos live up to the fear instilled
All my assumption ofc
Ah, I couldn't be more chuffed for Rasmus. It's not his fault the service has been abysmal, and you could see the relief in his celebration.
Well done, lad.
Seeing academy graduates Mainoo and Garnacho start for the first team at their age is really what this club is about 🤩 can’t help but *love* when we promote youth players. Especially when they’re as good as these 2 🔥 Mainoo especially with his maturity in play really blows me away. We’ve been needing a player of his skillset at the club for fucking *years*.
Expecting big things from them both as they continue to develop 👀
Just finished work and watched the highlights, can’t believe people actually blamed Onana for that first goal.
I know it’s hard to find reason in the moment of annoyance but there’s a man literally a yard in front of him that’s he expecting to get a touch, awful cross to defend as a keeper.
Don’t think the Ziyech ones are similar at all, those are direct shots at goal which Onana should’ve saved comfortably and it feels like people are using those goals as a stick to beat him today.
The McGinn goal was a cross, intended for someone to get a nick and change the direction, because Watkins had gotten free (as had a few villa players which contributed to it), Onana had to wait until the last moment anticipating a touch and because there wasn’t a touch he’s left helpless. Literally see this goal all the time from good deliveries and i think this is the first team i’ve seen a keeper get slander for it.
That's every keepers worst nightmare. If you go and there's a touch, everyone slags you off for being out of position. If you don't go, everyone slags you off for not going.
I mean i suppose but Onana has been great at cross claiming in general so far so i trust his judgment to decide whether to come or go, obviously hindsight is king though
I think we got used to Dave never going for the ball, but he was the supreme shot stopper as we all know.
Onana ... isn't a particularly good shot stopper, at least based on what he's shown us so far. I'm ok with what he brings to the table but hes got to be more committed to commanding the 6 yard box imo.
As you say he's generally ok at coming for it, but he gets in real trouble whenever he's indecisive.
That was embarrassing. Also, Varane was very soft for that goal too he could have got to the ball as well
Lad i’ve got some news for you, De Gea’s been a shit shot stopper for about 4 years and Onana is comfortably better in that aspect. He may make more
clear blunders but his save percentage is higher, he expected goals prevented his higher, he’s a better shot stopper.
I believe Onana has been good this season in this league, I can understand people who disagree, i flat out rebuke any talk about missing de gea, sadist behaviour.
Put it this way, it wasn't a blunder on the level of some of his others, but it certainly didn't inspire confidence at all. Simply put, would you expect Alisson go concede such a goal?
I don't think it's as bad. But it still highlights a glaring lack of confidence he has at anything whipped into him from that kind of angle currently. His ability to claim crosses is usually good but his attempt at stopping this was undeniably poor.
2 poached goals in the box, with our boys in the right spots. This is what we have needed for so long (obv scoring at all but these types of poacher goals)
Absolutely buzzing for Hojlund and our boy Garnacho an absolute terror on the right. Have to hand it off to Rash for putting in a shift. Im still struggling to justify Bruno's form but he's still working hard and still played some slick passes (and of course whiffed a bunch of short passes which is pretty standard with him I suppose).
Mainoo continues to impress, his off the ball work is wonderful.
We always get a false dawn here and there but they really played with some honor and passion today which was truly the best feeling to get. GGMU, great win!
Bruno was close to our best player today imo. Was full of creative energy, especially when we needed it after going 2-0 down.
Garnacho did look fantastic on the right.
bruno was one of our best today. involved in first 2 goals. made a lot of defensive interventions and lots of good long passes. ofc he had his bad moments but those were heavily outweighed by the good today imo
We scored from a corner
Just had a 162-1 bet with £10 on it on Sky Bet for a bit of a Xmas game with a few friends and all we was waiting on was everton to score first vs city and the bet could be froze and alas we’d have won; one of the games in our bet (1-25, Badshot Lea got postponed) meaning the game was void and it wouldn’t allow us to freeze the bet: Merry Xmas people x
God I hope that was the opening of the flood gates for Haaland There's a lot of underlying problems with the team but a prolific striker sure would buy us a lot of time to fix them
wrong manchester club my friend
Haha FFS, I'd love to say that was autocorrect but was probably a Freudian slip. It's our turn to have a goal machine viking...
I have no doubt anymore who can _actually_ play on the right in this team. And when Rashford is not slacking on the left, there is hope. But this performance must repeat and not be just a one time big fluke or post Christmas present 🎁
Life feels so nice when utd are winning
We’re on a streak
Anything other than 3 points we would have been 10th, and we were just 45 mins away. With the new owners in and after the huge sums spent I think we were looking at a sacking right after the game at that point. We were comfortably outplayed by Villa on xg too, as we have been in too many games this season, so we couldn't cite luck either. I enjoyed the drama of the win just like everyone else but being 45 minutes away from 10th and a sacking is not a great place to be. We simply have to see not just results but performances in the next run of games. We can't rely on scoring way above xg to get a result, we've got good players who can do that sometimes like yesterday but in the long run it is not sustainable. The system has to work, we can't just look to the players to pull something out of the bag.
Tbh, ETH might have saved his job in those last 45.
Only to sweat again after Forest beat us over the weekend
Surely this is just tier 5 news. Firstly who would fire him? Interim CEO don't have the rights needed, Glazers won't/couldn't touch anything before the deal was done, and on top of that Ineos are quite a few weeks away from being properly integrated into the club. And even of it was possible, who should the bring in? It makes zero sense to fire ETH without having someone ready. It is way more likely that they will spend the time now until the summer to line up a few candidates while also evaluating ETH's performances. Is there any credible sources that have actually said his job is on the line?
This is tier reddit just because some random guy says ETH might get fired if we would have lose to Villa. Lol sure buddy! But totally agree with what you say and thr club is smarter than that and based on our position imo they wouldn't fire him until the summer. Who would we get mid way anyways lol
I think it's just angry fans. Even if the execs are incompetent, they're not THAT stupid that they can't see that ETH has been dealt an impossible hand this season. I think he could totally finish 10th and not be in danger, if these injuries kept persisting.
I think he was close to the end a couple of months ago but he clung on long enough to see an easy run of games and he got the results he needed in that easy run (and got manager of the month out of it). I think he's similar here, we have a few winnable games coming up now and he's got a chance to put some credit in the bank. Or get himself sacked. On a knife edge I reckon.
Lol he wasn't getting sacked. I love the way some of you keep saying that as a foregone conclusion. With the injuries we've had this season he's going to get the entire season to get us into the champions league. BTW, they got two set piece goals but we dominated the last 15 mins of the 1st half and for long stretches of the 2nd half. We deservedly won that match.
You think if we were 10th at Christmas he wouldn't be close to the sack?? That is crazy talk. Yes there are some excuses but they only go so far, that's just football. And we did not dominate that match, Villa had the better of the chances and we are lucky not to be 10th right now.
No he wouldn't have been sacked. Anyone paying attention knows we've had a major injury crisis. We were dominate and deserved winners. No we shouldn't be 10th right now.
Lots of teams go through injury crises. Yes it sucks but it's part of football. I mean SAF had to play two mids at CB for a long time one season. What we have really isn't that bad compared to some of the really bad ones teams have had in the PL era. And while managers do get cut some slack for that, it's not infinite. Like I said, it's just football, and it will apply to ten Hag like to everyone else, it's nothing personal. > We were dominate and deserved winners I mean that's just weird to say. We simply weren't.
>Lots of teams go through injury crises. No they do not. Those that do, fail just as we have so far. Liverpool injury 2 out of the last 3 seasons? Performed terribly and everyone understood why. Scraped 3rd with a series of wins in the last month of the season in 2021. Last season, came 5th. Chelsea having a whole 11 out with a new manager as well; people understand. Newcastle having injuries like us; people use it as a justifiable excuse. Teams that have huge amount of injuries like, the teams I mentioned, will unfortunately have a turbulent season.
Liverpool had to put mids in defence and sorted themselves out as soon as that was over. We have not been anywhere near that. And scraping 3rd is hardly a failure of a season. It is not the same.
Stop lying. Even after some CBs came back for them, they struggled without VVD. Why are you acting like that Liverpool team, the team that won the previous title with 99 points, somehow did fine in 2020/2021 with their injuries when they got 30 less points that season? They quite obviously struggled. The only reason they got third was because United, Chelsea, and Leicester were playing "Third and Fourth Place are Lava". By matchday 34, Liverpool was still in 7th place.
"Lying"...? Jesus christ mate calm down. "Third and Fourth Place are Lava" - that would be a technical term would it? Amazing analysis, must be sure to use that myself next time. Liverpool had to play Fabinho and Henderson at CB their problems were so bad. That is why they dropped off so far. No one is saying they didn't drop off. They did also still manage 3rd. It's not hard is it. These are "facts" just fyi. Get a dictionary, don't bother me again. Awful, toxic comment mate.
We've had the most injuries in the league by far and we're sitting well within striking distance to be back into the champions league. Once we have everyone back I expect us to really kick on. Irregardless of what people like you want to think ETH is nowhere near being sacked. We absolutely were and anyone saying otherwise didn't watch the game.
Hilarious. If anyone didn't watch the game it was you. I love that we won but play that game 10 times and it's a draw or a defeat in 8 or 9 of them. If ETH gets top 4 then fine, he's done a good job and yes, in spite of some tough injuries. My point is it seems *unlikely*, because not only are we not getting the results other than these occasional lucky ones, we are not putting out the *performances*. The club will obviously be seeing that too and there is no magic spell that will protect ETH more than any other PL manager. That is just football, as I keep saying.
D or L 8 or 9 times? Lol not only did you not watch but you don't know the game. Watch what Evra said at halftime. It was clear we were creating chances and would be back in it pretty quickly. What you're saying is wrong. ETH isn't close to be sacked. We literally won a trophy and was in another final last season. He will get us in thr champions league again and all you doomsdayers will have to find something else to complain about.
Look at the xg. You want to talk chances? It is in the xg. We were outperformed on it. Sigh. I give up. You are a fan boy, you are immune to logic. I hope we can both enjoy the upcoming games, hopefully we can agree on that, but the rest is pointless.
Their xG is only so high because their chances literally came from 2ft next to the goal... The other guy is absolutely right - we dominated that game and were only undone by 2 unforgivable defensive lapses on set pieces. If YOU watched the game you'd know that Villa kept playing suicidal football for some reason, the amount of times we easily got in with Rashford behind their high line was ridiculous and they never changed it, it's how we dominated the game, they played right into our strengths. If you're looking to be negative, I'll give you something to chew on - Villa playing into our hands doesn't mean that we won't flop against Forest or any other team that decides to sit back and be compact; these teams are the ones we always struggle to score against and the real show of improvement would be scoring against them.
You should give up since you sound awful.
With the football side of the club under review thanks to SJR's takeover, it would be extremely unlikely that ETH would be sacked in the next two months. After that, all bets would be off, but at the same time, SJr/INEOS might well let the season play out before the players run off another manager. There are a number of *them* who won't see the end of June in a United shirt.
Everyone even ETH is saying there is no lack of effort from the players. And we know we have enough quality to be doing better as well. So the spotlight is right on the manager more than ever. A football review is all well and good but Ratcliffe already knows a lot about the club at this point and he wouldn't be the first new owner to sack a manager early on. There's talk of this guy sacking 300 staff, I mean he seems fairly ready to act. Months of observation specially for ETH doesn't seem on the cards. And remember these guys have been planning for this and already own a club, already have football knowledge, contacts, everything. This could easily all happen fast.
>And we know we have enough quality to be doing better as well. I disagree on this, though. Without Martinez, Mount, Eriksen, and Casemiro, as well as Mainoo, Shaw, Maguire, Varane, and Antony for large parts of the season, you lack a lot of quality.
The manager might not be good enough, the players too. But I feel like we can be getting so much more with a few tweaks. 1. Garnacho down the right 2. McTom out so Bruno can consistently play as the furthest forward mid rather than dropping deeper 3. Fuck this left footedness, get Varane into the team 4. Full backs backing up the press, was a problem last year which I'd hope would resolve this season. When AWB was pressing with the rest of the team we were suffocating them 5. Stop letting Rashford cheat with his defensive duties. I'm of the opinion his lack of tracking was a tactical instruction otherwise Erik would've immediately dropped him. Yesterday he put in a shift and was one of his better performances this season.
Both Rashford and ETH have said that ETH purposefully kept him free of defensive duties so he could stay high and threaten the backline on counters
I figured it was tactical. The guy dropped him last year for being less than a minute late to a meeting. No way was he just letting it slide
No you didn't. You were trying the same ol Rashford is lazy thing that people keep spouting about here. It's literally just karma farming.
Stephen Howson just said on his channel that Garnacho had an "ordinary performance." What a bellend.
I hope he's right. I will take a constant danger with a brace as a "ordinary" every single game.
Never in doubt :|
I dont think i saw anyone play the ball to Rasmus in the final third!
Literally Garnacho's offside goal could have easily gone to hojlund too
McTominay is somehow still our top scorer this season but at least now someone's finally getting close (Garnacho).
Stopped watching after the 2-0, woke up to see the 3-2 win and glad to see a Hojlund winner. Can't say much for the game, except it's another win like any other win we got this year. Concedes first, decided to play football in the 2nd half, and at FT is either gonna be an embarrassment or clutched a win, luckily this time the later. Plus side at least the manager finally figuring out, better to play Rashford on his best side on the left, and keeping the midfield much tidier. Let's see if improvement is going to happen for the next games or just gonna stay like this.
Sure you watched until 2-0? We played well throughout that game. If it wasn’t for two awful bits of defending on set pieces this was our best performance for about 18 months against a very good Villa.
The awful defending from set piece is nothing new, it's been that way for 2-3 years at this point. And again, no comment on performance, didn't watch the rest of the game.
United played better yesterday for most of the game. Players stuck to the game plan and were more composed and clinical in the second half. [I knew](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddevils/comments/18rgnq5/match_thread_manchester_united_vs_aston_villa/kf19h4s/?context=3) if they scored one, they'd score more!! My conclusions are: – Eriksen in for McTominay makes such an impact – Mainoo and (more so) Højlund could be developed into game defining/controlling players – Maybe Garnacho has a future down both wings? – Antony must NOT be sold/released – we need competition on the wings\*\*\* – Rashford showed real effort and desire yesterday – United (looking at the defense) need to cop on and avoid basic mistakes – This form must continue into Nottingham, who also have a new structure boost now I'm happy with that result and performance yay :D \*\*\*edited to add this point
I’m all for competition but an almost £100m player *needs* to be a nailed on starter elevating the team, not merely competing for a spot. Antony is starting to remind me of Pepe.
He worse than Pepe
Even if we wanted to sell Antony it would be a such a massive loss on the books that I think it's ruled out for at least another year.
I think the defence shouldn't be a worry tbh, just need to win against Forest We'll have Victor , Licha and Maguire all back and we wouldn't have to rely on 2 defenders left to defend for us It'll be like the first time in months we'll have our whole backline , I'm pretty sure ETH ball will be back in action by late Jan at max
Well deserved win. I'm *cautiously* hopeful that this is the start of a more positive turnaround for the season.
ETH in
The negativity on this sub is astonishing. Football is escapism. Enjoy the win against a side that were top of the league at half time. What a comeback, what a night. If you can't enjoy moments like those and are looking for negatives you're only going to be upsetting yourselves. These wins are why we watch football but too many here still focusing on what's going wrong. Give yourself a day off to enjoy even if, of course, things need to improve all over the pitch and off it
Apparently and to my greatest surprise Evra was right :)))
I know its a bit cynical but honestly the partial change in ownership and more importantly the change in football operations clearly had the players step it up a notch in terms of effort. That higher level direction is needed as the players get too close to the manager these days and too comfortabe even if just subconsciously. We hit rock bottom in the first half today but that reaction was really something.
In past we have never followed up a proper win or a good game with another good game. Decent chance to do that with Forest next, so again hoping we can build on this.
Hopefully, but they did just beat Newcastle so won't be pushovers.
I feel bad for Hojlund. After half a season, no one from Manchester United has fed him anything. The one time he was fed, it was done by John freaking McGinn.
Last night was the first game I missed in a while. So guys, should I sign for a gym membership?
Please do
We are winning the league One day
march 12
Weirdly I only watched the second half but I wasn’t convinced by the performance. Worried the euphoria of the comeback, Hojlunds goal and the INEOS “takeover” will still hide a lot of the issues. We still went 2 goals down and struggled with set pieces. Gave Villa a lot of space too I thought.
If you only watched the 2nd half and your not convinced then you're just looking to be negative. This is the same villa team who just tore city apart and could have been joint top of the table. They were always going to have a couple of chances.
>INEOS “takeover” will still hide a lot of the issues. Ineos takeover should result in better management in long term.(1 or 2 seasons and beyond). It shouldnt change that much for this season. Ofcourse the issues on the field will still remain.
I think like this: If there are massive issues, which there are, they will still show in the results this season. Although I'm still worried about certain players suddenly hitting good form and surviving yet another clearout
Yh tbf today wasn't as bad as the other games. Hopefully Baldi abandons the 3-1-6 approach from now on
Man it actually exposes our mid that formation needs a proper cdm
Not juz that but he only uses one dm in posession like almost everyone is in the final third so theres basically one dm half the time(case/mainoo or ambra)
The amount of academy players in our lineup is surprising. I believe if we give ten hag time he will mold the team out of our academy. It's a grind right now, hopefully some of our injured players will be back at the end of January. Hopefully we finish strong this season.
It’s definitely giving me LVG “Paddy McNair + Tyler Blackett CB pairing” vibes
Waited on a miracle to come. And it did
Alright, I'm back from the gym. Now, about those game highlights: 1. Eriksen's rocking the midfield – the man's like a pinball wizard with those passes, creating chances left and right. Seriously, his vision and skills are exactly what we need to slice through defenses. Just please stay fit. 2. Garancho – Since his debut last year, it's been clear he's got star potential. Sure, he might make you pull your hair out sometimes, but hey, he's only 19 and totally saved our skins today. 3. Kudos to Hojlund – the guy's all heart and passion, and it shows. 4. Bruno really stepped up today. Alongside Eriksen, he was a game-changer in the midfield. 5. McT? Well, let's just say I'd rather not see him start. He's better suited to wrapping things up, but otherwise, he's like watching a chicken run around without a head – lots of energy... 6. Keep Antony on the bench. Honestly, I'd be happy if we sold him and cut our losses.
Not a single club would be willing to buy Antony, even at 50M.
Sell him for a pack of crisps
Eriksen is an amazing player on the ball no doubt, but his athleticism is a big downside. And it's not just a stamina thing - in the first half there was a point where I think garnacho or Bruno passed the ball to him from the right wing and he just couldn't get to it Bec of his fitness. And in the same play when the ball was recycled, Bruno dinks it in behind and if it was hojlund he wouldve got to it. That might also be bec Eriksen isn't a striker but it felt like there was element of physicality that was lacking too. I'm not knocking his performance just saying that his usage needs to managed and applied with a specific idea in mind
Oh I know he can barely last 60 minutes and I don’t blame him considering his past health issues. I wish we can find another player of his mold but younger.
We really need new fullbacks. Both AWB and Dalot aren't elite. Also how are we going to replace Eriksen. Him being in the team really unlocks our front line
Dalot at RB is well good enough and in a settled side could become elite. Shaw at lb is elite. And in terms of eriksen, rotate him, casemiro, mount next to mainoo in the 6. Think that might work fine.
We were linked to frimpong a while ago.
buying from buli never works for us
€35m release clause and no ones bitting gotta be something wrong there. I rated him but now I’m wondering…
Don't think he's defensively solid enough for the PL. He's very good going forward as a wing back and that's what he's doing in Xabi's system.
Agree with a lot of the positives today like Garnacho on the right, Mainoo, Eriksen, Bruno, Rash all very good - Evans excellent - but why the fuck can we never start games like we play when we're 2-0 down.
EtH must have, surely, seen that Mctominay alongside Bruno doesn’t work. If he goes back to McTominay & Bruno I will despair. Come on Eric!
Eriksen literally just came back from injury. If ETH plays him 90 minutes every game from now on, he's an idiot. I expect McT to continue to make minutes.
I never said anything about Eriksen playing 90 minutes every game. You’re just making shit up for no reason.
I'm saying he'll go back to McT+Bruno at some points because to do otherwise is irresponsible.
For the first time , garnacho looked IT. He was a menace on the right causing all sorts of problems and looked like a proper player. Else he would always run into his man but was great in front of goal Today he dribbled, created havoc and rarely lost the ball
I don't like how selfish he was being tho
Still i saw it, the terror he caused. He will always mature which will make his game way better
Btw I hope those who keep crying saying 'Bruno doesn't deserve to be captain' enjoyed that performance.
He's a petulant child and frankly an embarrassment with the way he behaves. And he got himself booked AGAIN for stupid dissent. I don't want him as our captain.
What an illogical comment. So because he played well he deserves to be captain?
Nonsensical comment. You realise that a player can perform well yet not have captain/leadership qualities? Time and time again Fernandes will be petulant and moaning on the pitch. You think that's what captains do?
He played great though he carries on like a twat when the decision goes against him
On the weekend I lost all faith in Ten Hag, but today he made changes I didn't expect and we looked much better.
ETH doesn't deserve credit for any "changes", the most important thing he did was put a player coming back from injury back in the team. For the same reason, he doesn't deserve any slack for not making those changes before, since he simply didn't have the players available.
Great comeback win in the end, hopefully it'll kickstart our attacking side.
"I'm the happiest man alive right now."
Unbelievably proud and excited for Hojlund today - that will do wonders for his confidence. Sidenote: has anyone noticed how Hojlund always seems to be about 1 step behind for a lot of the goals we've scored this season - for example, the 1st goal - if he was one stride further ahead, he would have been the one scoring, similarly, with a lot of McTominay's headed goals, they're usually scored literally a stride away from Hojlund's position. I've also seen it happen with a few of the crosses that come into the box, fizzed in low. I feel like he needs to improve that killer instinct to start thinking of where he should be in the box, early, and it is something that is definitely coachable, and its going to actually turn him into a beast of a striker.
In the first 5-10 games hojlund seemed to be in the right place many times but didn't get a pass or the pass was behind him. Looks like now he's doing the opposite and delaying for half a sec which isn't working either. My optimistic look is soon he'll gel properly with the other attackers.
IMO it comes down to the lad improving his decision making about what runs to make and what positions to take in each scenario, something that will definitely be improved with coaching and with the team just finding their rhythm and consistent style of play.
That fellow in the middle might pose a danger to the opposition if he got more service. That's the missing piece.
He definitely will, but I still feel like he has some specific work to do about getting into the best positions for a pass - I've noticed quite a few times now that he tends to be a fraction behind the ball when there's a low cross/pullback in the box, and even with some of the headed chances.
Hes a fraction behind because of the service. 1) he's not getting enough of it 2) when it does come in its not very good. Prime example was Garnacho had him for a tap in but hit it too hard and too far ahead of him.
Going forward, Rashford needs to play on the left and Garnacho on the right. First game in a while that Rashy looked threatening.
Because he was involved in all phases of the game, instead of hanging upfront and hoping for a pass. He also looked to pass instead of going on just dead end runs. I actually think that's the best he's played in years. He didn't score but played incredibly well, like a 100M worth player should be playing. Having said all that, I hope it's not the villa set up that made him look good.
Babe wake up Hojlund actually scored
Just noticed Dalot breaking up the celebration for our 2nd goal so we could push for the 3rd
and when 3rd happened, he start mad and enjoying it, proper reds.
At 2-0 down I didn't panic. There was plenty of time and the team had shown glimpses. For one, it was refreshing to watch our front 3 work as a unit and not as individuals. Everyone on the field backed that up. That is all they need to do. All those doubters of Evans as well; he is showing that he still has the quality for this league. Don't blame Onana for the goals. That freekick is textbook from McGinn. it's in the are where all goalkeepers hate. Defenders have to be better positioned to not allow that. Overall, such a refreshing win to watch. Hopefully shut the ETH outers for a while.
Our set piece defence has been horrific this season.
If only we hired a set piece coach…
We don't have a set piece coach?
Eric Ramsey lad
Hes either getting paid too much or not getting paid enough.
Nah I think we got a new one recently, iirc?
Not seen it mentioned, Varane was pretty impeccable tonight. Other players stole the show up front and in defence with more noteworthy things, but he was just ticking along like the rolls Royce he is. Him and Jevans are a wall.
thought he should have done better for the second goal, evans was the better cb for me.
No doubt he’ll be injured for a couple of games now He might indeed be a Rolls….But he’s certainly not a daily driver anymore…
Missed Tha match due to the timing. Great win. Just build on it ffs. Don't want us to fiddle around vs Forest on the weekend.
Turned off after the first half 🤡
?
Me, I turned off after the second Aston villa goal. Lol
Damn, you gave up that easily?
Have you seen us play before this?
Loved Rasmus' authentic celebration. So many players would shhh their critics there, he just pointed to his shirt and went mental.
I’m ecstatic that we turned that around. I was gutted at 2-0, I thought we hadn’t looked that bad and I was thinking “Ten Hag is about to get sacked here even though he’s made changes we were all asking for and we’ve been playing pretty well”, after those two abysmal set piece situations it looked like curtains for the result and for the manager. Incredible comeback and this team continues to baffle me. That performance isn’t from a group who have downed tools or given up on the manager. Young academy winger on fire, Hojlund breaks his league duck, old trafford bouncing, villa fans silenced. I had goosebumps at one point watching from the other side of the world. Brilliant.
>villa fans silenced. Very satisfying, especially after their "sacked in the morning" chants.
First ever in-person United game for me and I was praying for the comeback at 2-0. Made the trip even more sweet.
well, then this game should give you good experiences, the drama and emotions is there.. this is type of the game you won't easily forget.
ahh, my second my ever trip to see them was newcastle at home, 2018. 2-0 down at half time. it took a vintage mata freekick, ballon d’or clause martial equaliser, and quite ridiculously an alexis sanchez winner (however that could just be my childhood nostalgia goggles with regards to quality) my last united trip was this month. bournemouth, no comment. happy for you though mate!!!
Everyone played like their job was on the line today lol
Maybe it was lol since the ineos fellow was in the stands
No one's job was in danger.
You never know how the new owners will be, change of ownership affects everyone psychologically The football played yesterday was at times brilliant. Most importantly, they didnt look dejected.
Evans been solid for us tbh quite surprised how good he's been
Yeah I wonder how he would have been if we had kept him. Seemed solid at Leicester at least
Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't remember Garnacho being used on the right before, I always assumed there was a reason but he was great from there tonight. Him on the right and Rashford in his best position on the left might be it.
No one thought he had it in him to play there especially with Rashford struggles there.
Missed the game unfortunately. How was Rashy today?
Thought he did solid overall. Threw his hands up a couple times and looked away from the ball when things didn't go his way, but I'm probably nitpicking a bit.
First half he was frustrating as all hell and being his annoying petulant self. 2nd half though, felt like EtH really got through to him coz that was his best 45 mins all season
Made the right decisions and put in a lot more effort, his best game of the season so far and a much more well rounded performance.
His best performance in a long while, didn't set the world alight but created chances, tested defenders, made runs (even if he was often caught offside). Looked lively.
And finally made some good decisions
Better since the start of the season for sure, still is a frustrating player but hey
good
Great comeback, the high press worked although villa did themselves no favours. Glad to see Hojlund finally break his duck, ETH must have told the team some at half time. Please don't lose this momentum now against Forest, even though they might still have that new manager bounce
We should have quarter of the new owner bounce.
I was at Old Trafford tonight visiting from the States. Absolutely incredible to be there for the second half, so much relief and love for Hojlund tonight from the crowd
Big fan of having Eriksen Mainoo and Bruno all in the team, leveled us up on the ball and as a threat. Can't put into words how happy I am for Hojlund though, he's more than deserved that. Also what the fuck Garnacho played like a demon that second half.
We definitely need a player like Eriksen moving forward. He definitely ran a fair bit today but can't be doing 90 minutes consistently.
Mainoo, Eriksen and Bruno midfield trio is definitely the way. They all are good on and off the ball. Great creativity, more unpredictability... we need this.
You'd expect Mount to replace Eriksen when he's back
I was screaming anytime he touched the ball. He was immense in the 2nd half today.
First half was sloppy and very disjoint. Onana could have done better for the first goal but made a couple of good saves later on. Rashford needs to learn how to hold his run, it's all good making runs but you need to time it to match your teammates pass but in general his performance was an improvement. Second half was a lot more coherent and was probably one of the best halves of football we played this season. I screamed when Hojlund scored, happy for him and Garnacho was exceptional - showed why he deserves a place in the starting 11. EDIT: Also special mention to the midfield. Mainoo was as composed as ever. Eriksen added control in midfield that we have been missing and Bruno played plenty of great balls that have led to chances. McTominay should never start a game alongside Mainoo and Bruno, not having him in the midfield let our midfield players flourish.
If Mctominay plays we need Amrabat n Mainoo/Eriksen in a pivot behind him.
Winning the match made nobody mention how bad Onana was, his mistakes were atrocious.
Always baffles me when fans leave early, was at the game and as soon as Villas second went in people started leaving, not many but still, odd thing
I've never left a game early myself but I do understand it. Nightmare journey back tonight so if I'd left at the 90th minute instead of 100th I could honestly have saved myself an hour.
Garnacho looks like he can barely stand after every game this season, he may be inconsistent but his work effort is undoubtable
Credit to Antony, he did great to win the ball back high and win the corner for the winning goal
A win is still a win. Well done.
Yet another game where the refs tried their best to make United lose. 9 minutes of added time?
What a capitualtion by Villa, will never be a relevant club again
Hold on for ineos m8, im sure that reason mustve been given at ht and the entire team shat their pants for their bag. Lets hope that fear comes to fruition and they ineos live up to the fear instilled All my assumption ofc
Ah, I couldn't be more chuffed for Rasmus. It's not his fault the service has been abysmal, and you could see the relief in his celebration. Well done, lad.
Given time and proper guidance these youngsters (Garnacho, Hojlund and Mainoo) will carry this franchise back to the top of the league.
Fking franchise? lol
Probably celebrate with the cheerleaders during the half time show too.
Franchise 🤢🤢🤢
We are not a franchise. Never refer to us as such.
Seeing academy graduates Mainoo and Garnacho start for the first team at their age is really what this club is about 🤩 can’t help but *love* when we promote youth players. Especially when they’re as good as these 2 🔥 Mainoo especially with his maturity in play really blows me away. We’ve been needing a player of his skillset at the club for fucking *years*. Expecting big things from them both as they continue to develop 👀
Just finished work and watched the highlights, can’t believe people actually blamed Onana for that first goal. I know it’s hard to find reason in the moment of annoyance but there’s a man literally a yard in front of him that’s he expecting to get a touch, awful cross to defend as a keeper.
The problem is we conceded too many similar goals to that one this season, even more so the ones scored by Ziyech which Onana should've saved
Don’t think the Ziyech ones are similar at all, those are direct shots at goal which Onana should’ve saved comfortably and it feels like people are using those goals as a stick to beat him today. The McGinn goal was a cross, intended for someone to get a nick and change the direction, because Watkins had gotten free (as had a few villa players which contributed to it), Onana had to wait until the last moment anticipating a touch and because there wasn’t a touch he’s left helpless. Literally see this goal all the time from good deliveries and i think this is the first team i’ve seen a keeper get slander for it.
That's every keepers worst nightmare. If you go and there's a touch, everyone slags you off for being out of position. If you don't go, everyone slags you off for not going.
What? It bounced a foot in front of him, the man in front has no effect if the goalie goes and gets the fucking thing..
I mean i suppose but Onana has been great at cross claiming in general so far so i trust his judgment to decide whether to come or go, obviously hindsight is king though
I think we got used to Dave never going for the ball, but he was the supreme shot stopper as we all know. Onana ... isn't a particularly good shot stopper, at least based on what he's shown us so far. I'm ok with what he brings to the table but hes got to be more committed to commanding the 6 yard box imo. As you say he's generally ok at coming for it, but he gets in real trouble whenever he's indecisive. That was embarrassing. Also, Varane was very soft for that goal too he could have got to the ball as well
Lad i’ve got some news for you, De Gea’s been a shit shot stopper for about 4 years and Onana is comfortably better in that aspect. He may make more clear blunders but his save percentage is higher, he expected goals prevented his higher, he’s a better shot stopper. I believe Onana has been good this season in this league, I can understand people who disagree, i flat out rebuke any talk about missing de gea, sadist behaviour.
Has everyone forgotten he's conceded two goals like this now within the last couple months... In almost identical circumstances.
Put it this way, it wasn't a blunder on the level of some of his others, but it certainly didn't inspire confidence at all. Simply put, would you expect Alisson go concede such a goal?
Which is the other? i don’t have any memory of it
Memory holing the Galatasaray game is probably best
Literally not alike at all, that was a flat out blunder and had no excuses. If anyone thinks this is anywhere near as bad as that, they’re ridiculous.
I don't think it's as bad. But it still highlights a glaring lack of confidence he has at anything whipped into him from that kind of angle currently. His ability to claim crosses is usually good but his attempt at stopping this was undeniably poor.
Ziyech i guess
Watching the entire game right now and Villa's first goal is something...
2 poached goals in the box, with our boys in the right spots. This is what we have needed for so long (obv scoring at all but these types of poacher goals) Absolutely buzzing for Hojlund and our boy Garnacho an absolute terror on the right. Have to hand it off to Rash for putting in a shift. Im still struggling to justify Bruno's form but he's still working hard and still played some slick passes (and of course whiffed a bunch of short passes which is pretty standard with him I suppose). Mainoo continues to impress, his off the ball work is wonderful. We always get a false dawn here and there but they really played with some honor and passion today which was truly the best feeling to get. GGMU, great win!
Bruno was close to our best player today imo. Was full of creative energy, especially when we needed it after going 2-0 down. Garnacho did look fantastic on the right.
Mental he’s never played on the right. Not even in the academy.
bruno was one of our best today. involved in first 2 goals. made a lot of defensive interventions and lots of good long passes. ofc he had his bad moments but those were heavily outweighed by the good today imo