Manchester United lost their second consecutive Premier League game this afternoon, suffering a tough-to-take 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Within ten minutes, an Andre Onana long ball was latched onto by Bruno Fernandes, who laid it off to Marcus Rashford, who smashed the ball home from range to open the scoring in simply sensation fashion.
From that point on, Erik ten Hag’s team essentially camped in their own box, and at half-time, they still had the lead. However, the inevitable was just around the corner.
A Phil Foden brace and a late Erling Haaland goal secured the win for the hosts, but there were some solid defensive performances on the field, notably that of goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Andre Onana’s game vs Man City by numbers
Onana can hold his head high after his performance against Man City this afternoon, with the United goalkeeper playing a big role in keeping the hosts out for just short of an hour.
The Senegal shot-stopper showed proactivity and confidence from the first whistle, with his long, direct kick acting as the catalyst for Rashford’s opener. The former Inter star was comfortable on the ball, taking 60 touches and making 25 passes.
However, it was his performance in between the sticks that was relatively impressive, making five saves, with four being in the box, and preventing 0.59 goals.
The 27-year-old also commanded his box extremely well, dealing with Pep Guardiola’s team’s 15 corners comfortably, as shown by his two punches and eight high claims.
Onana’s improvement has gone under the radar lately, but that showing will certainly give him confidence, despite the result and conceding three.
Sadly, there was one player in United red who particularly let the side down at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.
Victor Lindelof’s game vs Man City by numbers
It’s not the first time that Victor Lindelof has struggled to perform this season, but it’s not a surprise to see him suffer against Foden with plenty of help from Kevin De Bruyne.
The Swede started rather aggressively, showing courage to get tight to the eventual match-winner and preventing him from cutting inside, but he was instantly targeted as a player to press.
Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst gave Lindelof a 6/10 rating for his performance this afternoon, and the table below rather sums up why.
Lindelof vs Man City | |
|---|---|
Touches | 35 |
Passes completed (accuracy) | 19 (70%) |
Tackles | 0 |
Fouls | 2 |
Ground duels (won) | 2 (0) |
Via Sofascore | |
As you can see, Lindelof found it difficult on the ball throughout, which was due to him consistently coming into play on his stronger right foot. The centre-back’s pass accuracy was extremely low, while he was often ignored by teammates, as shown by registering fewer touches than goalkeeper Onana.
As the game went on, the former Benfica man struggled to keep up with Foden, losing both his ground duels in the tie and allowing him to cut inside onto his left foot for the equaliser. The 29-year-old also didn’t regain possession once for his side in the form of a tackle, which allowed City to maintain control by simply working the space for a cross.
It was expected that Lindelof would struggle before the game, and unfortunately, that was the case. In fairness, it must be a difficult task to play against the best team in the world in an unfamiliar position. Either way, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him given the boot for their next clash.
