This was the comeback following Brentford’s collapse. but not for Manchester United.
Up until Diogo Dalot unintentionally upended Noni Madueke in the 96th minute, this was Manchester United at their most captivating and boisterous—more West End than West London.
In United’s 90-minute games, there had been 26 goals scored in the 80th and subsequent minutes. Add 28 at this point. The most recent two went to Cole Palmer and Chelsea.
“City reject” taunted Palmer on behalf of the United supporters. If only Red, who was raised in Wythenshawe, had turned down City. The fact that United allowed him to get through the net is inexcusable. Palmer now stands among the select few who have defeated them with a hat-trick.
United’s penchant for giving up goals late in the game and in quick succession is also unacceptable. There were goals in the 110th and 111th minutes at Brentford following an equalizer that went past Andre Onana in the 99th.
Mauricio Pochettino stormed onto the field with his staff. Skeptically, Erik ten Hag crept down the tunnel. There can be no more doubt, if there ever was any. There is not a mindset on this United team to make it to the Champions League.
This was ultimately evidence to add to the ‘Ten Hag out’ dossier, even in one of United’s better performances of a chaotic campaign. Once more, United was eliminated at the last second after conceding goals of a familiar kind. At the last shrill, Antony looked on the verge of tears.
United played at a level that suggested there was a “process” Ten Hag mentioned during his pre-match press conference on Wednesday. They were magnificently supported by the deafening din from the away section of the Shed End.
This appeared to be another of United’s trademark 3-2 comeback victories after trailing 2-0. Even with Chelsea ahead 2-0, there were positive aspects of their performance, so they weren’t in vain. Full of steel and silk, United dealt with more defensive injuries and brought on 19-year-old Willy Kambwala for a close look.
Ten Hag has occasionally overreached himself by bemoaning United’s lack of luck, and Moises Caicedo gave them a severe cut. As more time passed, United was “Ole”ing. Palmer had to use hatchet man techniques to deal with Diogo Dalot. How Palmer must have been inspired by that. This was the most unbelievable of a season filled with unbelievable finales.
Ten Hag won’t be too comforted by the fact that United’s supporters saw the best of them all evening. Alejandro Garnacho narrowly avoided crowd surfing in the away end, and Casemiro held Ten Hag in a clinch. Harry Maguire politely declined the festivities in favor of a touchline conference call.
Garnacho called on the United fans to sing Antony’s praises. The Brazilian had his best game yet while wearing a United shirt, and his recall was crucial. It makes sense why he was devastated by the ending.
Though it would be premature to herald this as a change of leadership, Ten Hag must be privately relishing Antony’s impact in Marcus Rashford’s absence. Although Ten Hag stated Rashford’s demotion was due to rotation, he will undoubtedly be added to the roster for Sunday’s match against Liverpool.
For Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a resident of Knightsbridge and former Chelsea season ticket holder, this match felt just as much like a home game as it did at Old Trafford. Sebastian Coe, a Chelsea fan and task force from Old Trafford, was with him, which would have made for interesting conversation in the directors’ lounge.
Palmer is a right-sided forward with left foot who is at United’s disposal. The right winger that United spent €100 million on gave Palmer a second goal against them. This turned out to be one of Antony’s best nights wearing the red shirt, and the away section applauded multiple times for his enthusiasm.
Ten Hag bemoaned to Aaron Wan-Bissaka for losing to Mykhailo Mudryk in an aerial duel, and soon after, the issues were on the other end. Soon after Dalot motioned for Garnacho to follow, United was giving up another pull-back. Andre Onana gave up another saveable opportunity on a Conor Gallagher shot.
Though Wan-Bissaka and Antony are a peculiar duo, they have demonstrated more potential as a couple than Dalot and Antony, who speak Portuguese. For the first goal, there was poor communication between the left-sided Latinos. United’s dugout was equipped with three monitors, and the reruns would have been uncomfortable to watch from any angle.
After Axel Disasi lost Wan-Bissaka for a corner, United coach Steve McClaren gave him some tips. When Wan-Bissaka did not respond fully, McClaren quickly spoke with one of the United analysts.
At 2-0, Disasi’s misdirected header was crucial. Unknowingly helping Garnacho, Moisés Caicedo ensured that United in the Shed End became as powerful as their fervent supporters. Onana set up a brilliant team goal that Bruno Fernandes finished.
Wan-Bissaka and Antony’s strange partnership was back in action, and the latter, who looked great in the rematch in December, justified his recall even though he foolishly gave up a penalty by fouling Marc Cucurella. Before Caicedo made a mistake, the Brazilian turned the play expertly for Dalot to help Fernandes, saving a hopeless situation.
When Pochettino realized the person receiving Caicedo’s pass did not wear blue, the once-destined manager of United could no longer stand by and watch. In the technical area, Ten Hag appeared briefly condemned, and Pochettino, who is not very popular, soon looked strained. The referee’s decision not to book Maguire for what appeared to be a purposeful foul infuriated the two.
Gallagher hit the post at 2-2 to almost kill United’s momentum in the first half once more. While Jonny Evans paced up and down the touchline, Maguire begged the United bench to replace the struggling Raphael Varane. Evans’s arrival was postponed until the second half, and Varane was substituted at halftime for the second consecutive game, drawing further criticism towards the United manager and medical personnel.
On Thursday morning, Rashford looked dejected as United waited for their train at Stockport Station. It reminded her of his cold-blooded demeanor at the same station five months prior. He was allegedly unable to pass a fitness test, so he was also not chosen to start for Fulham. He was on the bench here.
Gary Neville’s “worrying” about Rashford on his podcast made his demotion even worse. Dwaine Maynard, the brother of Marcus Rashford, mocked that with an Instagram Story post that brought back memories of Neville’s summertime exclusive with the United forward.
Rashford was benched, according to Ten Hag, “for rotation to keep him and the team fresh through a busy period with another big game on Sunday”. Rashford was substituted 80 minutes into United’s draw with Brentford, had played 15 minutes for England against Brazil, and saw no action against Belgium.
For the 28th straight United game, Garnacho started in the starting lineup, which was otherwise expected. Ten Hag’s justification was insufficient. With Rashford, United is hesitating after Roy Keane advised a “kick up the a–e”. When he sent him on, Ten Hag gave him a pat on the back.
He treated Garnacho similarly after appearing to pull off the comeback. There was a twist, though.
