[Buster15]

I’m still gutted and frustrated with this result.

Really disappointing from us, especially in the 2nd half. It felt like Southampton just wanted it more for some reason.

Pretty much how I feel.
For some reason I didn't feel too confident before kick off.
And despite taking the lead, we were never really on top of a very good Southampton side.

The last 15 minutes or so were awful and the equaliser seemed inevitable.
I have a concern that teams are beginning to work out how to play Fernandes because he was largely ineffective.

And they got into Pogba face and closed him down.
However, the winning run had to come to an end and I guess a draw was better than nothing.

We will now find out the mental toughness of the squad and 4th place is what I expect now.

 

[devips]

We played indifferently, but what irks me the most is that even so, we should have been comfortably away in the first half itself if we did not squander those easy easy chances. This is on Rashford and Martial.

 

[ash_86]

If the game has taught us anything at all , its that we need quality in depth. The fall off in quality b/w first team and second team is huge.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

We played indifferently, but what irks me the most is that even so, we should have been comfortably away in the first half itself if we did not squander those easy easy chances. This is on Rashford and Martial.

Ahh yes, let's blame the best performers on the night rather than looking at the rest of the team. Any chances they got they created themselves. Also, let's be honest, Martial has no right to get the first ball under control in the build-up to the first goal, its outrageous play and how many strikers in the Premier League do you think are scoring with a starting position on the left side of the pitch, again it's a phenomenal goal. You need to give your head a wobble and look at the game rationally.

 

[Gator Nate]

If the game has taught us anything at all , its that we need quality in depth. The fall off in quality b/w first team and second team is huge.

Um, I think we already knew that. This just further reinforced the idea.

 

[barros]

They need to find a way to rest a few players from the middle field, we cannot play the same players over and over, we can use Fred to rest Bruno or Pogba.

 

[kitress]

First I was frustrated, but then looking back I find the game quite comical. Williams, especially. I remember people lauded a few months he acted so tough and full of guts. Then he went down this game with a scratch on his left eye and he was writhing on the floor and limped out of the game. Other defenders in the league would probably just put a bandage on and get back in the game.

 

[big rons sovereign]

We played indifferently, but what irks me the most is that even so, we should have been comfortably away in the first half itself if we did not squander those easy easy chances. This is on Rashford and Martial.

Good grief.

 

[ColvaleGoa]

First I was frustrated, but then looking back I find the game quite comical. Williams, especially. I remember people lauded a few months he acted so tough and full of guts. Then he went down this game with a scratch on his left eye and he was writhing on the floor and limped out of the game. Other defenders in the league would probably just put a bandage on and get back in the game.

Not sure if serious

 

[kitress]

Not sure if serious

I am laughing too. First I thought the way he was acting on the floor it had to be a serious injury. Then the detail and pictures came out, and it is a fkin' scratch. There are numerous examples of English defenders playing on with a gash in their heads and blood coming over their faces. But they were men back then though.

 

[Maureen-yo]

FFS. He should not have taken off Bruno.

I just knew once we went down to ten men that we would concede. Day fecking ruined.

Yes agreed, highlights just how thin our squad is on the attacking/ creative midfielder type.

 

[Coops73]

First I was frustrated, but then looking back I find the game quite comical. Williams, especially. I remember people lauded a few months he acted so tough and full of guts. Then he went down this game with a scratch on his left eye and he was writhing on the floor and limped out of the game. Other defenders in the league would probably just put a bandage on and get back in the game.

Like Terry Butcher? Only problem being they don’t really like the old claret pouring out all over the place, what with the covid and the aids and shit. I know it’s all a bit snowflake but watcha gonna do?
I’m being sarcastic for all those who don’t understand.

 

[Grunge]

I think losing Shaw to injury was the key turning point in the game .

Despite having Pogba withdrawn and Bruno not at his sparkling best, he and Rashford kept S'oton on their toes, preventing them from moving forward as they would like, during a time in the game when we as a team, were looking tired otherwise deft of ideas. Their threat (Shaw + Rash) was crucial to not only hanging on for the three points, but always gave us real chance of getting in behind 'em and scoring a third. Once Luke was replaced with Williams however, we lost that threat ... and given Bassaka was not his usual self, the Saints not only looked noticeably stronger through the middle, they then started to have success down both flanks.

Frankly, I still thought we would hold on ... DeGea made one wonderful save and it looked like that was all they would get out of the game, and I personally think we still should've been able to hang on. But then losing Williams without a replacement was a real blow, giving them the extra confidence to push forward. Down a man and with poor, tired marking of the corner, resulted in the goal and disaster that the draw represented.

All that said, with three games to go, a place in the top four is still there for us to reach out and grab for ourselves. I assume Williams will be out due to concussion protocol so I really hope Shaw's ankle will recover with ice bath treatment and a good tape job because we are much better with him than without; failing that, Dalot will just "have to do" against Palace on Thursday. An otherwise unchanged and better motivated, cohesive team performance should be enough to beat what is a very mediocre London team.

 

[Devil may care]

The subs were right, Shaw got hurt, and the rest were running on empty. I am just happy that Greenwood was not injured because of that disgusting tackle.

It was just terrible luck all around. We played the last few minutes a man down, when Southampton should be the one playing most of the game with ten men. They also made some last ditch saves that kept them in the game. Still, they should have been a man down, if VAR had not fecked up, this would have been an easy win. And it was not even a difficult decision to make, a red all day.

Gotcha, looking at the match thread i was bemused by the 180 in positivity over one game, especially given Southampton have been playing well. I didn't see the tackle on Mason, but on the live updates i was reading everybody's view seemed to be that it was a stonewall red card.

 

[Eire Red United]

First I was frustrated, but then looking back I find the game quite comical. Williams, especially. I remember people lauded a few months he acted so tough and full of guts. Then he went down this game with a scratch on his left eye and he was writhing on the floor and limped out of the game. Other defenders in the league would probably just put a bandage on and get back in the game.

Yeah in fairness would have liked to see him play on, medical team though have the final say

 

[DevilRed]

Yeah in fairness would have liked to see him play on, medical team though have the final say

He was bleeding from the head and concussed. I don't think anybody could have carried on and been effective.

It just goes to show that luck has NOT been on our side. Such fine margins.

If we had ended the match with 11 men, I'm certain we probably wouldn't have conceded on the corner. The lads were definitely freestyling it on the marking.

 

[Eire Red United]

He was bleeding from the head and concussed. I don't think anybody could have carried on and been effective.

It just goes to show that luck has NOT been on our side. Such fine margins.

If we had ended the match with 11 men, I'm certain we probably wouldn't have conceded on the corner. The lads were definitely freestyling it on the marking.

Vidic/Terry would have. Anyway, on to the next one.

 

[DevilRed]

Vidic/Terry would have. Anyway, on to the next one.

Vidic probably.

terry meh.

 

[ghaliboy]

I didn't even know we drew until tonight. Watched until the 90th and went off to work, completely oblivious as we were up 2-1

 

[Siorac]

I didn't even know we drew until tonight. Watched until the 90th and went off to work, completely oblivious as we were up 2-1

You have over 10k posts on Redcafe but you don't even check a United result until 24 hours after the final whistle? The result of a hugely important game at that. Strange. These days even phones have internet you know.

 

[ghaliboy]

I joined a wee pup and am now a grown man with children and responsibilities.
.

 

[Decomposing In Paris]

Huge step backwards: we found it difficult to break down a defence that defended properly, Ole looked caught in the headlights and I have no idea why he totally changed the midfield with the subs. Pogba and Bruno didn't have their best games but to pull both off was odd - unless he had brought on extra defenders.

Plus - although he scored a good goal - Martial missed a very good chance to put us ahead which a top goal-scorer would have put away and (as I've warned for weeks) proved oh so costly. All in all, a very poor team performance.

Worst of all: you could see their equaliser coming for at least 20 minutes. We were so poor for first 20 mins and most of the second half - what the hell was said at half time? I'm guessing most people blame Lindelof for the goal but we were asleep at the corner (I realise we were hit by the Williams injury). In fact, Lindelof was probably our MoM; he was way better than Maguire.

Had we gone third, I think it would have given us the momentum to hold on to a top-four finish and maybe even driven us to win one of the cups. Now I am very worried. We need Spurs or Liverpool to do us a favour which I wouldn't bet on and having to go to Leicester on the last day and win will be very very difficult.

I am now not even confident of beating Palace...

Wait, the guy who got a brilliant individual goal, an assist, set Rashford up for another great chance... not to mention that the other two chances he had, he had to win the ball himself to create... this is the guy you’ve been warning about?

 

[mitchmouse]

Wait, the guy who got a brilliant individual goal, an assist, set Rashford up for another great chance... not to mention that the other two chances he had, he had to win the ball himself to create... this is the guy you’ve been warning about?

I've been saying that a striker such as Rudd would take chances Martial has missed and that that could cost us... and it did

 

[mitchmouse]

Give your head a wobble

what would you say about our team if we got beat 3-0 off Sheffield?
What would you say about our team if we got spanked 4!-1 off Bournemouth?

I don't even understand your question

 

[Zlatans Knee]

I've been saying that a striker such as Rudd would take chances Martial has missed and that that could cost us... and it did

Ruud would not have managed to create the chance that Martial created for himself in the second half. Besides it was not as if he did a lot wrong for that chance in the first half, it was a great save. Then he created the goal for Rashy brilliantly and then set him up again in the second half as well which Rashford proceeded to miss. You can complain about a lot of things, but Martial was one of the shining lights for us in that match. He has been one of our best players for a long time now.

 

[Bristol_Red_87]

I hate to say i saw this coming, but the warning signs have been there since Bournemouth that some of the XI needed a break. Unfortunately, as many others have pointed out, the players to come in simply aren't good enough, and thus Ole most probably doesn't trust most of them to step in and maintain that same level.

I was fairly adamant before the game that we need to bring in at least one quality CB, a winger who can play on the right and a centre forward, and nothing i saw on Monday has changed this opinion.

Lindelof is clearly not up to it. We have invested so much money in Maguire that we need to match or up that investment to find a CB who compliments Harry's strengths and weaknesses.

Unless we make a desperate u-turn on AWB, we need natural creativity from the right. I don't see Mason Greenwood's long term future out there. Sancho or no Sancho, its a priority for the window.

I've always been critical of Martial, but there's no denying he has been electric since the restart. I do feel he's slightly lost his 'ice cold' nature in front of goal, but you could argue the chances he's somewhat snatched at of late have occasionally flown into the top corner, so you can't have everything. I'd love to have a different type of player up there that can either play as a lone wolf or alongside Martial. Someone of the ilk of a Kane, Jiminez or Ings.

I hope Ole freshens things up tomorrow, I'm expecting at least 3-4 changes.

 

[Decomposing In Paris]

Ruud would not have managed to create the chance that Martial created for himself in the second half. Besides it was not as if he did a lot wrong for that chance in the first half, it was a great save. Then he created the goal for Rashy brilliantly and then set him up again in the second half as well which Rashford proceeded to miss. You can complain about a lot of things, but Martial was one of the shining lights for us in that match. He has been one of our best players for a long time now.

I wouldn’t bother, he’s clearly decided that we need a striker who can create and score all their chances while also creating for others. Ultimately none of us would turn that striker down, but we should pick up the goalkeeper who doesn’t concede goals while we’re at it.

 

[SirScholes]

I don't even understand your question

I’ll simplify it for you
How would you rate our chances of top 4 if those were are results?

 

[mitchmouse]

I’ll simplify it for you
How would you rate our chances of top 4 if those were are results?

I didn't understand it because it didn't make sense.... and still doesn't

 

[SirScholes]

I didn't understand it because it didn't make sense.... and still doesn't

It makes perfect sense, it’s really not hard

the teams around us are playing worse, we had one draw and you got your knickers in a twist.
This was days ago anyway and we are currently winning against palace
Enjoy your half empty glass

 

[MikeeMike]

And my point is that it isn't about what a ref feels or believes. These incidents happen very quickly. I don't blame the ref. I blame VAR for not looking at it one time and immediately calling for a red card. Would you rather the league was full of a bunch of Romeus or a Greenwood?

I know that when a player does multiple rolls in agony and then holds different part of leg to where the contact was made, it influences the decision.
Maybe that had a sway on VAR decision.
i dont like where VAR has gone.
maybe because of Bruno penalty they didnt give Red. Who knows.
I was amazed it wasnt given as Red due to how late the tackle was.

 

[mitchmouse]

It makes perfect sense, it’s really not hard

the teams around us are playing worse, we had one draw and you got your knickers in a twist.
This was days ago anyway and we are currently winning against palace
Enjoy your half empty glass

so your question centred on something that hadn't happened. brilliant

 

[SirScholes]

so your question centred on something that hadn't happened. brilliant

It did to our rivals