Manchester United got back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 4-2 home victory on Wednesday night against bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.
It was not all plain sailing for the Red Devils, who were behind twice. Jayden Bogle opened the scoring for the Blades after a mistake from Andre Onana before Harry Maguire equalised with a superb flicked header just seven minutes later.
Just five minutes into the second half, Sheffield United led again, this time through Ben Brereton Diaz. However, two goals by Bruno Fernandes, one from the penalty spot and the other an excellent long-range strike, and a poacher’s finish from Rasmus Hojlund sealed the three points for United.
18-year-old Ethan Wheatley also made history just over 24 hours after scoring twice against Manchester City to help the U18s win the Premier League Cup final; he became the 250th academy graduate to play for United’s first team.
However, despite a memorable night in the end at Old Trafford, it was a night to forget for one Red Devils starter, who put in a frustrating display and was substituted early on in the second half.
Antony's game vs Sheffield United in numbers
The man in question here is Antony, who lasted just 55 minutes before being replaced by Amad. It was certainly a tough night for the Brazilian, who has not really found his feet at Old Trafford but has especially struggled this season. He is yet to score in the Premier League this season and has so far managed just one assist.
Samuel Luckhurst of Manchester Evening News even gave Antony a dire 4/10 in his post-match ratings. He explained that Antony had “little end product despite some reasonable openings”, which is certainly reflected in his statistics from the game.
As per Sofascore, the winger had two shots but did not register either one on target, and he completed just 50% of his dribbles, two in total. The 24-year-old lost possession 13 times – once every four minutes – won just three of his 11 duels and was dribbled past on two occasions. It was another frustrating performance.
Antony’s substitution just before the hour mark was not very surprising, given his night’s work. United fans will also surely have been excited to see another opportunity for Amad, who has had fleeting opportunities since his FA Cup heroics against Liverpool in the quarter-final.
Amad’s performance vs Sheffield United
Frustratingly for Ivorian winger Amad, he has made just three appearances since scoring United’s winner in the FA Cup last month, including Wednesday’s outing against the Blades. With that being said, he left his mark on the game again with the rare opportunity he was given.
In just 35 minutes, the former Atalanta man had 28 touches, and boasted a 94% pass accuracy, completing 17/18 of his passes in total. Whilst he also struggled off the ball, winning just two of his duels, Amad showed his impressive close control, and within moments of coming on the pitch, slalomed in and out of Sheffield United defenders, creating an opportunity for United in the box.
After another disappointing showing from Antony against Chris Wilder’s side, it could well present a key opportunity for Diallo to claim a more regular starting spot in the United starting lineup.
Marcus Rashford’s injury meant Alejandro Garnacho shifted over to the left-hand side, and should that be the case on Saturday afternoon against Burnley, Erik ten Hag could well select the young attacker, and give him his first start of the season.
Regardless, Amad is a player who United fans will be desperate to see more of. He showed them exactly what he can do in the FA Cup quarter-final and his other fleeting appearances this season. He is a superb dribbler with a high footballing IQ, and, as he proved against Sheffield United and in games prior, has all the tools to make it at Old Trafford.
Next up for the Red Devils, they play host to Burnley at 3pm on Saturday, before some tricky fixtures to end the season, including hosting Arsenal. Of course, everything is building up to the FA Cup final next month, where they will be hoping to right the wrongs of last season and beat Manchester City.
Man Utd have a 'leading candidate' to replace Ten Hag but he's Moyes 2.0
He hasn’t had a job for over a year
ByJoe NuttallApr 24, 2024
