Manchester United can count themselves lucky to have gotten the 3 points against Brighton despite not being at their best. There is no denying the fact that Manchester United is struggling and the players are taking the heat of it. They are becoming careful now as no one wants to be the Scapegoat. There was a call for the captaincy to be stripped off Harry Maguire because of his terrible form as a result of this.
I once asked a question about what colour of problem Manchester United is having and I think I got the answer by watching the Brighton game. It was a typical United performance that we have been treated to all season. They would play and then when the chance comes for them to nick it in the bud, they would waste the chance. They are all culpable of this offence because I have lost count of the number of chances even Ronaldo with Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and other players have lost. They get in great positions but for them to hit that final ball into the back of the net, they spun the chance.
Football has changed from what it used to be; when we would see the big teams earning bragging rights to win every game and now we can see a lot of them suffering against much lesser oppositions. We have the likes of Juventus, Barcelona, Manchester United and a few others too. Football isn't like it used to be back then as a lot of teams are getting adequate funds to at least challenge the so-called big teams.
Money has been introduced into football now and you see an average team turning into attractive destination for most player. We have seen that with Manchester City, PSG and it's only a matter of time before we see the transformation that would hit the most expensive football club we have ever seen; Newcastle United based on the worth of the owners.
Nothing is ever given in football anymore and there would be more money to be introduced as football progresses which makes it a new trend we have to get used to. A lot changes in football so quickly and we have seen that with the fortunes of some big clubs as they have been suffering.
If United had taken most of the chances that came their way they would have been better positioned in the league by now. They have wasted far too many chances despite their shabby midfield and terrible defending coupled with their sloppy play.
Age is definitely catching up with Ronaldo and he is still being used because he is capable of anything as we were able to see against Brighton when he hammered home the shot in the 51st minute. He missed so many chances before and after his goal and Brighton could have gotten themselves into the game which would have made it another sorry case of a draw for Manchester United which was why I called Manchester United lucky against Brighton. Ronaldo's goal moved him to joint level with Andy Cole on Manchester United's All Time Premier League record scorers and he is just 2 shy of matching Ruud Van Nistelrooy; a feat I believe he can achieve this term, barring any unfortunate event of injury or goal drought.
Brighton rattled the bar and the impressive David De Gea showed that he is getting better with age. We have hit the era where goalkeepers are getting recognized for their efforts too which wasn't a thing back in the days. With more teams equipping their teams with the best of players, you can expect goalkeepers to pull impossible saves as there would be more attempts on their goals and they should get ready for it. Attentions are now going to the goalkeepers as we have seen majorly in the Premier League where they now get the attention their efforts deserve and scrutiny if it's the other way round.
United would have been further down the table if not for the man between the sticks; De Gea that is giving them hope by keeping them in the game every time he has been called upon. It took Ronaldo this long to register his first goal of 2022 and sums up a lot about this United team that looks bereft of ideas and are playing individual games so others can see they are not the one letting down the team.
It was good to see Elanga getting the reward for his efforts by getting his 4th start in 6 games so far this season and I would appreciate it if they won't expect too much from him since we saw how Januzaj carried the United team under Moyes and not much has been seen of him anymore since he took a move to Real Sociedad. We don't need to force maturity on Elanga but we should allow him to ease into it.
Bruno Fernandes atoned for his misses and his saved effort late in the game after he sealed the game in the 96th minute when a quickly taken freekick sent him clear and he dummied the goalkeeper to fire home his effort to seal the 3 points and push Manchester United into the top 4; 2 points clear of West Ham who sits in 5th.
Manchester United won Brighton by 2-0 and I would say they were lucky to win this but hey, don't we all need that bit of luck in football? I actually feel Brighton might have gotten back into the game if their captain, Dunk didn't receive that red card. That red card gave United a cruise control to deny Brighton making any history at Old Trafford since they have never won a game there and have only beaten Manchester United thrice in their existence. The first time was in the 1980s while 2 came recently.
Manchester United won this and they should save a word of thanks to David De Gea for keeping them in the game. Hopefully, this would inspire them to more victories as Cristiano Ronaldo has also ended his goal drought.
They are back into the top 4 but the journey still lies ahead if they want to stay there with so many teams breathing down their neck to stake their claim for the same spot.
Thank you for your time.
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