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Manchester United traveled to Vicarage Road in the Premier League on Sunday well aware that they had to secure a win to stay in the race for the top 4. Their opponent on the day, though, were in dire straits themselves. Watford had lost 4 of their last 5 games and had not won a game at home this season ahead of Sunday. Recently appointed manager Nigel Pearson oversaw a 0-2 defeat against Liverpool in his first game in charge and was desperate to start their revival against United.
The Red Devils, on the other hand, were coming into the game on the back of a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Colchester United in midweek in the Carabao Cup. Having dropped points against Everton last weekend, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was aware that Sunday was an opportunity for him to steal a march on his rivals for the No. 4 spot, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, who were playing each other later on the day. With Paul Pogba nearing a return and traveling with the United squad for the game, speculations were rife ahead of the game regarding his involvement. But the Frenchman could only make the bench, as Solskjaer named an unchanged squad from last weekend’s draw against Everton.
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Manchester United Starting XI: David De Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Fred, Scott McTominay, Jesse Lingard; Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Daniel James.
The game failed to come alive in the first half and score stayed 0-0 at the break. In the second half, the home side took the lead through Ismaila Sarr in the 50th minute. Troy Deeney put Watford 2-0 up from the spot in the 54th minute. Solskjaer brought on Pogba to attempt to rescue the game, but United failed to break down a resolute Watford side and ultimately lost the game. Here are the hits and flops from the game.
#1. Flop: David De Gea
The Spaniard had a forgettable moment against Everton last weekend when he was partly at fault for the Everton goal. Against Watford, David De Gea found himself in a similar situation but was saved the blushed by the referee’s whistle. It was perhaps a sign of things to come.
In the 50th minute, De Gea allowed Sarr’s shot to pass through his hands and into the back of the net, giving the home side the lead against the run of play. The Spaniard’s reaction after conceding the goal said the whole story. It should have been a routine save, but his howler put United under a lot of pressure. Things took a turn for the worse when Watford won a penalty 4 minutes later and De Gea was sent the wrong way by Deeney, who gave his team a two-goal advantage.
#4. Hit: Ben Foster
The former Manchester United player was a spectator for much of the game but was called into action during the later stages. And Ben Foster rose to the occasion, thwarting United every time the away side ventured into the box. The Englishman made 8 saves in the game and had a near-perfect day under the bar.
Foster was lucky not to concede when Jesse Lingard ran through on goal in the first half. The Englishman stood up to the United man, which forced Lingard to attempt an audacious chip that floated over the crossbar. After the break, Foster was called into action when Scott McTominay unleashed a fierce hit from the edge of the box. However, the Watford goalkeeper was up to the task and saved well from his shot. United upped the tempo once Pogba entered the field, but Foster continued to be massive at the back for the home side and made a couple of impressive saves to keep Anthony Martial as well as Marcus Rashford at bay in the later stages of the game.
#3. Flop: Jesse Lingard
With Paul Pogba on the bench, Jesse Lingard was one of the players whose position in the team was under threat. The Englishman did start the game in the No. 10 role but did very little to warrant a longer run in the first eleven. Lingard worked hard right from the start and looked lively, but failed to make his presence felt with the ball at his feet, in the final third.
The Englishman was unable to pick up the movement of the players ahead of him and United attacks dried out due to the lack of final balls. Lingard also had a glorious chance to score when he was sent through on goal by Martial. The Englishman looked set to score, with only Foster ahead of him in the Watford goal, but instead of keeping it simple, he went for the extravagant. Lingard tried to lob the onrushing Watford keeper, but the ball sailed over the bar. He was ultimately replaced by Paul Pogba in the 64th minute.
#2 Hit: Gerard Deulofeu
The Spaniard put in a shift for his team on the night and was a constant cause of worry for the away defense. Gerard Deulofeu matched stride for stride with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and even got the better of him on a couple of occasions. He started in the forward left position and stretched the United backline on the counter-attack. The Spaniard showed great speed and ball control and was easily the best player on the pitch.
Deulofeu saw a lot of the ball in the game; he had 65 touches of the ball and attempted 37 passes with 73% accuracy. He also had one key pass to his name and had the United backline retreating every time he had the ball at his feet. Deulofeu attempted 10 dribbles with 60% accuracy; his 6 successful dribbles were the highest in the game. The Frenchman did not shy away from the dirty work either, registering 8 tackles with a 50% success rate and even made 3 interceptions, second only to Wan-Bissaka.
#1 Flop: Daniel James
The Welshman has blown hot and cold this season and his form has hurt his team. Daniel James has been brilliant at times but has also drifted away from games on other occasions. He has been utilized in the right-wing by Solskjaer and has looked lively in quite a few games. However, against Watford, the Welshman had a quiet game.
James started the game brightly but failed to stretch the home defense. There was a lack of composure in the final third, and he gave away the ball on quite a few occasions. The Welshman had just 20 touches on the ball and attempted 13 passes with 62% accuracy. He did register 1 key pass, but could not provide the width and zeal that United needed in the final third. The fact that he did not register a single shot on target summed up his performance on the day. James was ultimately replaced by Mason Greenwood in the 58th minute.
