#2 NorthEast United's poor defensive display
NorthEast United began the game with Heerings Kai in place of Mislav Komorski at the back. However, the backline of Heerings, Wayne Vaz, Reagan Singh and Rakesh Pradhan were not adequate to stop the onrushing ATK attack.
The defence often lacked understanding and compactness and failed to cut off the supplies from the midfield. ATK were successful in drawing the defence to the flank and free a striker at the centre. On multiple occasions ATK strikers were left left unmarked inside the box. There were also no offside traps for the visitors, which could have been a good aid to counter the through ball strategy.
Robert Jarni completely botched his defensive tactics for the day as he should have opted for both Komorski and Heerings to face a dangerous ATK side. With very little support from the defensive midfielders, NorthEast had a horrible day at the back, conceding three easy goals to the two-time champions.