BORING, boring, Man United.
Amid the doom and gloom surrounding the country this evening, you would have thought a starting XI worth £328million could put on a bit of a show.
Even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was close to falling asleep watching his side struggle against LutonCredit: AFP
Some light relief and actual entertainment on the night Boris Johnson confirmed we’re in lockdown for the long haul.
But no.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men did their best to help their supporters fall into hibernation for the winter with a drab performance at Luton.
Yes it was their second competitive game of the new season after a reduced summer break – with only Harry Maguire retaining his place from the weekend defeat to Crystal Palace.
But this is Manchester United, the so-called biggest club in the world.
Yet here they were, inside an empty Kenilworth Road, staggering into the Carabao Cup fourth round.
Thankfully for the uninspired Red Devils – who left their sharpest trident of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood on the bench until the 78th minute – they had their typical escape route to bail them out.
Another penalty, gift-wrapped by the Hatters who bumbled and fumbled as they failed to clear before George Moncur tripped Brandon Williams just before half-time.
Donny van de Beek, probably barking out instructions but possibly yawning, during the Carabao Cup victoryCredit: Rex Features
The £37m Juan Mata – remarkably only United’s sixth-most expensive starter – made no mistake from the spot before Rashford and Greenwood slotted home in the final minutes to give a misleading scoreline.
On a night where United’s players knew a strong game could force them into contention to start at Brighton on Saturday, few took advantage – especially Odion Ighalo up front.
Jesse Lingard at least played with a point to prove and was trying to make an impact, Williams won the penalty and Dean Henderson, making his senior United debut, made a fine stop to deny Tom Lockyer at 1-0 as the academy graduates showed up their multi-million-pound colleagues.
Solskjaer will of course take the win – remember United have not lifted a trophy since 2017 and seen rivals City hoist this particular one for the last three years.
But the lacklustre display from the five-time winners – until Rashford, Fernandes and Greenwood’s injection of pace and purpose – won’t fill the Norwegian with confidence.
This was an opportunity to bounce back from the Palace defeat and lay down a bit of a statement against the Championship side.
However, it was an opportunity they failed to take and needed the big hitters off the bench to put the tie beyond doubt.
Preston or Brighton will fancy their chances if there is a repeat performance in round four next week…
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
