Chelsea 4-3 Man Utd (Gallagher 4′, Palmer p 19′, p 90+10, 90+11 | Garnacho 34′, 47′, Fernandes 39′)
It is Erik ten Hag who will bear the brunt of Manchester United’s frustrations after another inexplicable late collapse at Chelsea. Surely we are approaching the end times.
Inside six days, his side have been winning at Brentford in the 98th minute and managed to drop two points, and have been beaten 4-3 at Stamford Bridge despite holding a 3-2 lead in the 99th minute.
Ten Hag will surely pay with his job – perhaps not now, but in good time, when Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s feet are fully under the table and results like this are no longer accepted with a “that’s United” shrug.
The irony is that while some of the manager’s decisions baffled, he was not always entirely off the mark. Starting Antony over Marcus Rashford seemed, inevitably, like it would make him the butt of jokes again.
But aside from giving away the penalty, the Brazilian provided a stunning outside-of-the-boot assist for Alejandro Garnacho’s second and was involved in both United’s first half goals too.
Jonny Evans’ signing was a bone of contention for some fans at the time but there is a serious argument to be had that he is their most consistent centre-back – it is only a pity he had to go off to add to a lengthy injury list.
So where does it fall on Ten Hag? United have matched their record number of losses for a Premier League season and the failure to create a winning culture, or even a vaguely coherent set of tactics, is his responsibility.
A lack of leadership is a theme that permeates at all levels. Cole Palmer had already scored an injury time penalty to peg United back at 3-3 when he was left unattended on the edge of the box to complete his hat-trick.
Hardly unforeseeable – indeed four separate United players pointed to him but not one of them moved, leaving him unmarked for his 16th Premier League goal of the season.
It was a two-pronged problem. Why, with the stakes so high, did United feel it appropriate to bomb forward and leave caverns of space for Noni Madueke and Palmer to run into? Why has Ten Hag not instilled even an element of control late in games?
The squad is bare, and as Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez nurse muscle injuries, 19-year-old Willy Kambwala did well enough as a substitute. When you have squad numbers 53 and 37 on the pitch, it is a sure sign others need to step up.
Chelsea deserve praise, of course, and for a feel of what it meant, see Mauricio Pochettino’s jubilant celebrations with his touchline staff at the final whistle. Ten Hag has only just finished having nightmares about the sight in Amsterdam after Lucas Moura’s 2019 Champions League semi-final hat-trick.
Pochettino rarely gets tired of reiterating that his current gig is a project that requires patience, and it might have run out had Chelsea not reversed their own bumbling trashing of a two-goal lead.
There are glimpses, largely thanks to Palmer, at least that make his words worth clinging onto. Who at United any longer believes the same of Ten Hag?
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/ZBF3M0q
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