The last possibility of silverware in 2022 has gone. It was perhaps a vanity to believe that Manchester United were ever in the Champions League race. To grieve the passing of opportunity is to ignore the reality that over two legs United fell short, however narrowly on what was a rousing night at Old Trafford.
This was not a contest that United deserved to lose, yet in the end, it was maybe better to suffer a result that allowed them to exit with pride rather than face a more profound reckoning in Friday’s quarter-final draw.
Atletico Madrid set about the night like pick pockets, elusive, quick, in and out of range and ready to deploy every sleight of hand imaginable. A more robust referee might have changed the complexion of the evening but here Slovenian arbiter Slavko Vincic fell for all the old tricks. This was shithousery at its most cynical. Perhaps the only consolation for United is that it is unlikely to yield the ultimate reward.
The buses and trams were rammed, the lads rapping out their allegiance in song oblivious it seems to the passage of time and United’s fall from power and influence. The visiting supporters filled a quadrant above the old scoreboard paddock. Since Atletico had not been to Old Trafford since 1991 it is fair to assume most were here for the first time, a supposition supported by the enthusiasm with which they embraced the occasion.
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Ralf Rangnick’s latest shuffle saw Paul Pogba dropped on his 29th birthday. With him from the fortunate win against Spurs went Nemanja Matic and Marcus Rashford, whose individual decline is painfully symbolic of his diminished team. For what had become the most important game of United’s season Scott McTominay returned to the base of the midfield, Bruno Fernandes to its apex and Anthony Elanga to the right side of the attack. On this occasion, the selection did not let anybody down. If United could have found more of this cohesive spirit earlier in the Rangnick reign their hold on fourth place might not be so fragile.
The Atletico bus arrived 20 minutes late after being stuck in traffic. Maybe this was a sign, a shape in the tea leaves, a harbinger of bad tidings. The match began at a frenetic pace, United fulfilling the minimum obligation of intensity and effort. There was pattern too, the ball being moved at pace if not immediately threatening goal. Atletico obliged by falling into that familiar, compact shape, letting United have the ball in their own half. The Simeone method loads his teams with torque then looks to spring the trap with killer passes.
United raised the pulse rate with a slick move down the right that ended with Jan Oblak saving at point-blank range with his head. The keeper knew little about Elanga’s crisp strike until it was spinning away from his goal, his arms flapping about in ignorance. Within a minute David De Gea was at full stretch to save a speculative effort from Rodrigo De Paul. There are none better than De Gea at this part of the game. It seems odd to question the value of a keeper with De Gea’s ability to keep out the ball. Unfortunately for him it is no longer enough to dazzle with the hands, the modern keeper must have the feet of a libero as opposed to the elephant variety he possesses.
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Fred was everywhere in another much-improved display. Rangnick has happened across an advanced role that seems to suit the Brazilian more than the disruptor-in-chief that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw him as. As a classic No.8 Fred provided the necessary support that freed Fernandes to roam with menaces.
There was always the danger of the rapier break. Sure enough Joao Felix had the ball in the net following a smart move down the right. To the relief of the majority, the linesman’s flag went up as if to say, no you don’t son. Five minutes later the celebration was for real, Renan Lodi heading home Antoine’s Griezmann’s fine cross at the far post. United were furious claiming an unpunished foul on Elanga. There was robust attention paid by the Atletico defender but the infringement was over by the time Elanga chose to go down.
Atletico are not a team against whom you want to fall behind. This was entirely their territory, ten men behind the ball. Do you worst. When United did glimpse daylight the massive Oblak was there to blot it out. This would require a dose of vintage red in the second half.
Not only did Atletico know what they were doing, their mastery of the persuasive arts, of cynical smarts, falling appropriately under a challenge, all contributed to the lock and key operation they ran. It felt like United didn’t lose, just ran out of time.
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