Is it just me, or did the win last night feel a bit matter of fact and routine to you?

[rotherham_red]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the hell out of it while it went on, but I wasn't bouncing off the walls afterwards like I did with the Leeds and Southampton wins.

Maybe it was the competition, but I do think it's a big sign of our progress under Ole that I felt as calm as I did after the match. I remembered how mind numbingly boring we were at times under LvG and Jose, and how inept we were under Moyes.

Ole has almost totally flipped the script on that, for me. We've now scored 5+ goals in a match 9 times under him. The previous three managers combined could only do it twice. Yes, we'll have the odd game where it doesn't seem to work out, but with us being a young team that is bound to happen.

Here's hoping for continued growth and eventually some proper success for this team under this manager. Lord knows, I'll be celebrating it that bit more than I usually would!

 

[tenpoless]

It's because you saw Chris Smalling. We're all Chris Smalling. We look at Chris Smalling and think about life for what it really is and then we're at peace. No bouncing off the walls.

 

[rotherham_red]

It's because you saw Chris Smalling. We're all Chris Smalling. We look at Chris Smalling and think about life for what it really is and then we're at peace. No bouncing off the walls.

 

[11101]

6 goals is never routine but i did expect a good win. No offence to Roma, but we should be beating them comfortably. 3-0 would have been about right, so 6-2 isnt far off.

 

[Siorac]

It's because you saw Chris Smalling. We're all Chris Smalling. We look at Chris Smalling and think about life for what it really is and then we're at peace. No bouncing off the walls.

But yeah it's just you. Maybe you're getting old. But it was a 6-2 win in a European semi-final, that's never routine.

 

[cyberman]

Yep. I made a post on here just after about how i felt it was unfair for Utd to be in this competition and being favourites to take away a CL spot from actual EL sides.
We struggled when Cavani was injured and Martial off form. Having a world class striker who is in form really shows how good our attacking play can be. Cavani is playing well but thats becauase we are finding his runs with fantastic forward play.

 

[Mindhunter]

I think it is just you, a lack of fans, and shit commentary. I was buzzing.

 

[Rozay]

It’s because Roma are crap. It was clear from very early on that this sort of result was there for the taking. Tbh, I expected something similar from even before the match. These 4th and 5th best teams from other leagues can no longer really put up a fight against the big PL clubs. We should have scored more in the first half too.

 

[Tincanalley]

It’s definitely just you

 

[Tincanalley]

It's because you saw Chris Smalling. We're all Chris Smalling. We look at Chris Smalling and think about life for what it really is and then we're at peace. No bouncing off the walls.

In a dazzling flash the truth of this just dawned on me. I AM Chris (Mike) Smalling....

 

[Annihilate Now!]

It’s because Roma are crap. It was clear from very early on that this sort of result was there for the taking. Tbh, I expected something similar from even before the match. These 4th and 5th best teams from other leagues can no longer really put up a fight against the big PL clubs. We should have scored more in the first half too.

Yeah, Roma were so shit that at 2-1 down, you thought we need to go score 4 here to make this comfortable - knowing full well that we could easily do so.

 

[El Zoido]

It felt routine because Roma are rubbish. But a good kind of routine, because we’ve lost to such poor teams plenty of time in recent history. I really enjoyed the game though, this team evokes memories of SAF at times, when they smell blood it’s a beautiful sight.

 

[TMDaines]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the hell out of it while it went on, but I wasn't bouncing off the walls afterwards like I did with the Leeds and Southampton wins.

Maybe it was the competition, but I do think it's a big sign of our progress under Ole that I felt as calm as I did after the match. I remembered how mind numbingly boring we were at times under LvG and Jose, and how inept we were under Moyes.

Ole has almost totally flipped the script on that, for me. We've now scored 5+ goals in a match 9 times under him. The previous three managers combined could only do it twice. Yes, we'll have the odd game where it doesn't seem to work out, but with us being a young team that is bound to happen.

Here's hoping for continued growth and eventually some proper success for this team under this manager. Lord knows, I'll be celebrating it that bit more than I usually would!

It felt nice to have faith before the match, faith when 1-0 up, faith when 1-2 down and faith at half-time rewarded.

We're becoming a better side. The manager, coaching staff and players all deserve credit for that.

 

[Judas]

When we click like that, kick into gear, we're a scary side. Especially against that level of opposition. Once we equalised you just sensed we could tear them to shreds.

 

[Vidyoyo]

Yep 100%. I can tell within five minutes of any game how we'll do and we were clearly in the mood for goals yesterday. It was obvious even in the crappy first half.

Likewise, I put the Leeds game on for 5 minutes at the weekend and knew immediately we weren't getting anything out of it.

Call it female intuition or whatever the male equivalent of female intuition is. Probably confirmation bias.

 

[noodlehair]

Roma were really very bad. I was quite furious at half time at the fact we were managing to lose to a team that seemed intent on just letting us do whatever we want and constantly passing the ball straight to our forwards.

What happened in the second half should really have been the whole game so it was a bit routine. It just seemed to take us half the game to figure out we were better than them to the point we could whatever we felt like.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying the second half wasn't good. We could play like that because the likes of Cavani, Bruno, Pogba etc. are so many levels above what Roma could offer, and its nice that we have started showing that and producing to the level we're capable of. It just wasn't quite the same as say, beating a very good Roma team 7-1 in a CL knockout game, by producing a once in 5 years level performance. How we played last night I think is a level the players involved are capable of producing fairly regularly if the opposition are willing to let them.

Yep. I made a post on here just after about how i felt it was unfair for Utd to be in this competition and being favourites to take away a CL spot from actual EL sides.
We struggled when Cavani was injured and Martial off form. Having a world class striker who is in form really shows how good our attacking play can be. Cavani is playing well but thats becauase we are finding his runs with fantastic forward play.

If we took away a CL spot from Arsenal rather than Villareal then the funny factor would outweigh the unfair factor. Especially as they tried to squirm their way into the Super League and there's other teams in the PL more deserving of a CL place than them who wont get one.

Plus its not like we'd suddenly be in the CL twice. The extra spot would just go to someone who isn't Arsenal, which is the most important thing.

 

[Chipper]

I was buzzing, perhaps the win lost a tiny bit of gloss a couple of hours after the match when I looked at the Serie A table for the first time all season and realised they were 7th. The name of Roma was still a big thing in my mind until then, that gave it a little bit more perspective or context I suppose. 51 conceded in 33 too, proper ropey at the back aren't they?

 

[Dante]

Solksjaer has raised the standards at the club, and half the fanbase still haven't acknowledged it. They've obviously experienced it, but seem to have ignored how good a manager Ole has been to get us this far. And the fact we've improved so much means matches like these have become increasingly routine (or at least unsurprising). Under any other post Fergie manager, it would have been edge-of-your-seat.

I never once felt we were going to lose yesterday.

 

[hungrywing]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the hell out of it while it went on, but I wasn't bouncing off the walls afterwards like I did with the Leeds and Southampton wins.

Maybe it was the competition, but I do think it's a big sign of our progress under Ole that I felt as calm as I did after the match. I remembered how mind numbingly boring we were at times under LvG and Jose, and how inept we were under Moyes.

Ole has almost totally flipped the script on that, for me. We've now scored 5+ goals in a match 9 times under him. The previous three managers combined could only do it twice. Yes, we'll have the odd game where it doesn't seem to work out, but with us being a young team that is bound to happen.

Here's hoping for continued growth and eventually some proper success for this team under this manager. Lord knows, I'll be celebrating it that bit more than I usually would!

I think I get where you're coming from and posted about it in the matchday thread (might have been another thread).

In the second half we were kind of playing like we played under SAF. Two big caveats there: 1. it was Roma. 2. Roma were really bad

On a related note: since the Brighton game - for me at least - we're looking more organized during the press. The players are cutting off all the short passing options much better than when we had 108.4% of the caf pointing out our 'pressing' was just two out of the front three running towards the ball/closest option.

 

[Oranges038]

I think it was because Robbie Savage kept saying. "Can they get another?" After every goal.

 

[Raees]

It’s because it was Europa and Roma. Still proud of the lads and thoroughly enjoyed it but totally get what you mean. It’s a sign that we have bigger fish to fry. Next season is massive.

 

[RedSky]

Solksjaer has raised the standards at the club, and half the fanbase still haven't acknowledged it. They've obviously experienced it, but seem to have ignored how good a manager Ole has been to get us this far. And the fact we've improved so much means matches like these have become increasingly routine (or at least unsurprising). Under any other post Fergie manager, it would have been edge-of-your-seat.

I never once felt we were going to lose yesterday.

Agreed, I was very calm. Always feel like with this team that they can turn a game completely on its head in the space of 10minutes. When we do spark into top gear nobody can really stop us and it seemed clear after the first 10mins of the game that we were in that mood. It was just a very odd first half, so many stops, so many injuries, the weather, the ref decisions and Roma taking their chances etc. It was bizarre.

 

[roonster09]

Roma were very poor defensively, we created good number of chances. So I was confident we would score at least 2 in the second half (I'm usually confident in most games, so not a big thing maybe).

Pogba was in good positions to pick passes, when 3-4 Roma players tried to press him, he picked Bruno comfortably who then had so many options to create chances. It was easy game.

 

[hungrywing]

It’s because it was Europa and Roma. Still proud of the lads and thoroughly enjoyed it but totally get what you mean. It’s a sign that we have bigger fish to fry. Next season is massive.

Roma were really very bad. I was quite furious at half time at the fact we were managing to lose to a team that seemed intent on just letting us do whatever we want and constantly passing the ball straight to our forwards.

What happened in the second half should really have been the whole game so it was a bit routine. It just seemed to take us half the game to figure out we were better than them to the point we could whatever we felt like.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying the second half wasn't good. We could play like that because the likes of Cavani, Bruno, Pogba etc. are so many levels above what Roma could offer, and its nice that we have started showing that and producing to the level we're capable of. It just wasn't quite the same as say, beating a very good Roma team 7-1 in a CL knockout game, by producing a once in 5 years level performance. How we played last night I think is a level the players involved are capable of producing fairly regularly if the opposition are willing to let them.



If we took away a CL spot from Arsenal rather than Villareal then the funny factor would outweigh the unfair factor. Especially as they tried to squirm their way into the Super League and there's other teams in the PL more deserving of a CL place than them who wont get one.

Plus its not like we'd suddenly be in the CL twice. The extra spot would just go to someone who isn't Arsenal, which is the most important thing.

Bolded parts are spot on, IMO (I'm afraid). It's a mentality/coaching-staff-approach issue now and that is completely normal/understandable. This is a squad full of players who don't know what exactly it takes to 'win'. It's going to be 'weird' for them as well.

 

[matherto]

It felt like the Tottenham 5-2.
Somehow I knew we wouldn’t be as tumescent as the first half, once we got the equaliser we were always gonna run riot.

I just hope it’s sinking into the players. Keep the tempo up and we’re genuinely a great team to watch, if we slack off then our bottom level is really low.

It’s a massive IF and I’m probably jinxing it but winning a trophy will be massive for this team mentally.

 

[The Brown Bull]

Definitely enjoyed the 2nd half but not the first. Roma were poor and have been in very poor form of late. I expected a thumping win for us and we got there in the end.
Cavani, Pogba, Shaw, & Bruno were excellent. Thought Fred, AWB, Maguire & Lindelof were good. DDG didn't have much to do and couldn't be faulted for the goals but did have one dodgy moment when he kicked it straight at Dzeko.
Rashy looked well off form. Definitely not a right winger.
McTom tried hard but was off his best.
Happy out in the end. Another few goals on Sunday would be nice....

 

[cyberman]

Roma were really very bad. I was quite furious at half time at the fact we were managing to lose to a team that seemed intent on just letting us do whatever we want and constantly passing the ball straight to our forwards.

What happened in the second half should really have been the whole game so it was a bit routine. It just seemed to take us half the game to figure out we were better than them to the point we could whatever we felt like.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying the second half wasn't good. We could play like that because the likes of Cavani, Bruno, Pogba etc. are so many levels above what Roma could offer, and its nice that we have started showing that and producing to the level we're capable of. It just wasn't quite the same as say, beating a very good Roma team 7-1 in a CL knockout game, by producing a once in 5 years level performance. How we played last night I think is a level the players involved are capable of producing fairly regularly if the opposition are willing to let them.



If we took away a CL spot from Arsenal rather than Villareal then the funny factor would outweigh the unfair factor. Especially as they tried to squirm their way into the Super League and there's other teams in the PL more deserving of a CL place than them who wont get one.

Plus its not like we'd suddenly be in the CL twice. The extra spot would just go to someone who isn't Arsenal, which is the most important thing.

But we would also be in the top seeds for the CL group draw which feels a little bit like cheating to me. Although Arsenal being there would look ridculous

 

[bsCallout]

I get it, I think it was because it should have been 4 or 5 more.

I was just so impressed with the goals to be honest, some really classy play.

 

[Grande]

I see the point, yet for me it works the opposite way.

After beating Brügge 5-0, Linz 5-0, RB Leipzig 5-0, Leeds 6-2, Southampton 9-0. ... there’s a cumulative extra joy about 6-2 vs Roma because I know it isn’t just a freak result.

There’s an old song about it ... ‘we’re just one of those teams that you see now and then.’

 

[DWelbz19]

When we click like that, kick into gear, we're a scary side. Especially against that level of opposition. Once we equalised you just sensed we could tear them to shreds.

Sociedad, Leeds, Roma, Southampton... We really have it in us to bully teams at times. Next step would be to do it a little bit more frequently. Maybe not weekly 6-2’s and such, but somewhere inbetween!

 

[TMDaines]

I see the point, yet for me it works the opposite way.

After beating Brügge 5-0, Linz 5-0, RB Leipzig 5-0, Leeds 6-2, Southampton 9-0. ... there’s a cumulative extra joy about 6-2 vs Roma because I know it isn’t just a freak result.

There’s an old song about it ... ‘we’re just one of those teams that you see now and then.’

I didn't even get excited about the prospect of a rare "often-ing" because we are starting to score six fairly often again now.

 

[tenpoless]

In a dazzling flash the truth of this just dawned on me. I AM Chris (Mike) Smalling....

Makes you feel reborn

 

[K Stand Knut]

I completely agree.

Whilst I obviously wasn’t happy with the first half performance, I genuinely didn’t have any concerns about the game and whether we’d win or not.

They are a poor team and I didn’t see anything but a United win after Ole had spoken to them.

Still a good win though, just expected it even when 1-2 down

 

[VP89]

Roma's defending made Southampton look like prime Milan so I didn't read as much into it

 

[DickDastardly]

Totally get what your saying and had a similar experience. Kinda mad at HT but i knew we had them.

2-2 goal was feck yes what a goal Edi!
3-2 goal was, ok, rebound, PES06 style, just shoot and tap it in.
Pen was a bit what the feck did he just give us? I'll take it.
Pogba's 5-2 was good for you! But in a sense, this tie is so over, i'm just happy for Pogba that he scored.
And you just knew Mason was getting on the score sheet tonight, so that was pretty obvious.

It was so routinely done that yeah, you could have a sense of - yeah, good training lads, let's grab a beer after this.

 

[MattofManchester]

It's probably because it's the Europa League. We're the strongest team in it, so naturally we're expected to do well.
Takes away some of the shine.
If that's the UCL, we're bouncing off the walls, really.

 

[Bilbo]

Whenever Robbie Savage is commentating I tend to lose somewhere between 5 & 10 minutes of each match by drifting off and trying to get my head around the fact that he actually gets paid for doing it. Then I get past it and enjoy the game.

Last night felt anything other than routine to me though. I really didn't want this semi-final thing to become any more of a thing than it currently is, and obviously I really want to see this team pick up a trophy together.

 

[Cloud7]

Yup, I expected it. Even though I didn't get to watch the match, when I checked the score and saw that they had scored against us, I knew we were going to come back. We've been good as of late, and Roma aren't that good. A team where Chris Smalling is their starting CB in 2021 is not a team to be concerned about.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

We've now scored 5+ goals in a match 9 times under him. The previous three managers combined could only do it twice.

That’s an incredible stat.

 

[Nick7]

They were awful to be fair. Even when we were 2-1 down it felt like we would would score. We just needed to calm down a little bit.