Tops
The English striker, who regularly collided from left to right with Jérémy Doku to cover his tracks, tried in the first period, in vain. He notably missed his face-to-face with Onana in the 19th minute but increased the number of breakthroughs and dangerous crosses. In the second half, the 23-year-old striker once again proved dangerous but decisive. He first allowed his team to come back to the score with a delicious curling shot (56th), before allowing his team to take control by scoring the winning goal with a cross shot, after a pass from ‘Alvarez (80th). Replaced by Oscar Bobb (90th 7).
Despite the three goals conceded, the Cameroonian goalkeeper produced a very good performance this Sunday at neighboring Mancunian. The Manchester United goalkeeper first saved his team in the first half, with two saves against strikes from Phil Foden (15th, 19th) and made another decisive save on a strike from Rodri (34th). He also established himself in the air, especially on corners, and was one of the Red Devils’ strong men in the first half. In the second half, he did not make any major errors despite conceding goals.
The citizen midfielder played a key role, in the shadows, to allow his team to get back into the match. At the heart of the game, he notably completed 100 passes (out of 111) and recovered 8 balls. He is at the origin of the pressure put on Amrabat to recover a precious ball in added time, at the origin of Erling Haaland’s goal, which acts as a “catch-up” for the Norwegian.
Flops
Despite scoring five times against Luton (2-6) on Tuesday, the Norwegian number 9 did not have the expected impact against the Mancunian rival. Positioned at the forefront of a 4-1-4-1, he was not, or very little, found by Kevin De Bruyne and missed the inevitable in the 45th minute, when he was alone against the cage of André Onana, beaten. He was also clumsy with his head (4th, 33rd) and lost a dangerous ball in midfield (52nd). Despite his disappointing match, the Norwegian striker, like a good surface fox, still scored the break goal in added time, improving his statistics.
The Moroccan midfielder, who entered in the 82nd minute in place of Kobbie Mainoo, would have been better off staying on the bench. This is undoubtedly what Erik Ten Hag was thinking when he returned to the locker room after a frustrating end to the match for the Red Devils. Almost non-existent in midfield (only 2/3 successful passes, in just over fifteen minutes of play), the 27-year-old international lost his three contested duels and missed his only attempted dribble. He is also at the origin of the lost ball, offering the third citizen goal to Erling Haaland. A match to forget for the Moroccan.