November 03, (THEWILL) – Cristiano Ronaldo’s magnificent injury-time equaliser, combined with his brilliant first-half equaliser, gave Manchester United a 2-2 draw with Atalanta. They are now in first place in Group F and need three points from two games to go to the knockout stages, but the joy of that possibility will not mask the poor performance on the day.
United had the better of the early exchanges, with Scott McTominay’s attempt deflected onto the post, but Atalanta steadily established themselves and took the lead on 12 minutes, Josep Ilicic’s shot slithering under David de Gea – who really should have kept it out.
United looked dreadful after that, but when Raphael Varane went off hurt, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced him with Mason Greenwood, who combined with Bruno Fernandes to create a fantastic equaliser for Ronaldo in first-half injury time.
The second half was more even, with both teams attempting to force things but unable to find the required quality, so it was no surprise that the breakthrough came in unusual circumstances.
On 56 minutes, José Luis Palomino clipped the ball over the top, and as the United back five hesitated, Zapata raced on to score, only to have the flag raised for offside. But, after two long minutes of video assistant referee (VAR) review, the clearly incorrect decision was eventually reversed.
Despite their best efforts, United were more likely to concede than score until Ronaldo came to the rescue once more in injury time as he had done one too many times. Yet, the reality is that they cannot continue in this manner.
By the final whistle, it was clear that Manchester United were back to their frustrating antics after a much improved performance at Tottenham over the weekend. In Italy, they yet squandered another opportunity to play brilliantly before saving themselves with two moments of creativity.
The level of the team’s performances may be enough to get them into the Champions League knockout stages, but they still have major flaws that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not appear to be capable of fixing on his own.
United are capable of defeating anyone when they are at their best, but their current level is simply too low for a squad with so much quality. This is partly due to the fact that whatever organisational work they do in training does not translate to the field on the one hand, and also, on the other, due to the fact that the players do not take responsibility for doing well.
This has been the predicament of the Red Devils’ side since the beginning of Solskjaer’s tenure, and there is no reason to believe it will change now, which is why a management change appears to be inevitable in the final analysis.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
