Manchester United: what went wrong vs West Brom
By Wyatt Miner
Manchester United played last place West Bromwich Albion over the weekend. The Red Devils failed to secure a win.
During the West Brom match up, Manchester United did not play that bad. Furthermore, West Brom struggled to keep possession of the ball, but ultimately, they capitalized on the counter attack. Jose Mourinho was unaware that West Brom came to play a competitive football match.
When United took the pitch, they controlled the game. As expected, West Brom struggled to strip the ball off of United players. While nobody scored come halftime, the two teams looked as if they were playing their hardest.
Manchester United ended the game dominating possession with 70%. Additionally, United looked as if they deserved the win, but West Brom had other plans. In the Premier League, anybody can defeat anybody. United expected the win in the past weekend’s match, but they overlooked a last place opponent, and they paid for it.
Jay Rodriguez scored in the 73rd minute off of a corner. West Brom’s counter attack plan awarded them a corner. The corner came in towards the back post as Nemanja Matic desperately put a head to the ball, but it was right in favorable position to score. United would fight to score, but they would not succeed.
What went wrong?
From first look at the match facts, one would scratch their head because United dominated in almost every category. They dominated possession, shots on goal, and saves. Simply, Manchester United just got unlucky. They had several attempts on goal, but their efforts could not be converted.
Matic redeemed himself, though, as he played role in the United attack. For instance, he created an excellent chance for Romelu Lukaku, but Ben Foster made a de Gea-like save, stretching out to his side.
When West Brom scored, the away fans at Old Trafford sang “Manchester City, we won it for you.” Because of this loss, United’s noisy neighbors won the Premier League; adding insult to injury.
With the shots generated from United, they should have been the victors. As they are in second place, pundits favored United to come out on top. While the Red Devils tried their best to come from behind, it could not be done. After all, United cannot win them all.
Next: Manchester United fall to West Bromwich Albion
Ultimately, Manchester United must take this game as a lesson. The Red Devils learned that underestimating the competition may result in a loss. Before West Brom, United were on a hot streak in the Premier League. Now, United’s second place position is threated now that Liverpool sit one point behind. Manchester United have a shot at redemption on Wednesday as they play a mid-table Bournemouth team.