Manchester United fall to West Bromwich Albion
By Wyatt Miner
In an unconvincing first half, Manchester United looked surprised by West Brom’s demeanor.
Manchester United absorbed West Brom’s attack when they had possession. However, United had chances as well. For a last placed team, West Brom played well against a strong United team.
In the first half, Mata nearly found his way towards an early goal. A chip came over the top of the defense, but the assistant referee ruled him offsides. Also during the first half, Ander Herrera came into the box looking to register a shot on goal. Craig Dawson missed the ball on a challenge against Herrera, and Manchester United deserved a penalty. The referee blatantly missed a horrible challenge, and this would prove costly to Manchester United.
The first half of the match proved that West Brom did not aim to play like a last place team. Manchester United looked the stronger passing team, but West Brom relied heavily on counter attacks. On occasion, West Brom would find space and try to get shots on net, but the Baggies could not find their way past de Gea in the first half.
Manchester United looked much stronger during the second half, but they ultimately could not get a goal past Foster.
Manchester United’s biggest chance came late in the second half. Matic sent a cross across the box to find the head of Romelu Lukaku. Then, the Belgian sent a heading attempt at Foster, and he made the save. Surely, it looked as if Foster could not reach the ball.
West Brom’s goal came after a rapid counter attack. Off of a corner kick, Nemanja Matic headed the ball into space, and Jay Rodriguez was in the right place at the right time to head it past de Gea. Manchester United simply got unlucky. West Brom played much better than everybody expected them to. With only 3 wins before playing United, who would actually bet money on West Brom?
Manchester United fell to West Bromwich Albion 1-0. The Red Devils never looked convincing enough to score. West Brom ultimately got lucky from a rare slip up from Matic.
Watch the match highlights here:
Next: Manchester United predicted starting XI against West Brom
Because of this loss, Manchester City are crowned as Premier League champions. For the most part, the season is over, but a second place finish must happen for Jose Mourinho. Furthermore, a second place finish will be the best finish since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. Now, Liverpool sit one point behind United, but the Red Devils have a chance for redemption on Wednesday against Bournemouth.