Man Utd limped to a 1-1 draw at Club Brugge in a very lacklustre Europa League last 32 first leg performance which did little to inspire the masses.
It could have been worse for United had Antony Martial not reacted smartly to grab an equaliser after Dennis had shown predatory instincts of his own to fire Brugge in front.
GOOOOAAALL! @AnthonyMartial gets us back in it!#MUFC #UEL pic.twitter.com/hv3RJe4Z3Z
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 20, 2020
United will be pleased to come away with the tie in the balance after a very undesirable display, in which a lot of anger was directed at
It's fair to say that many fans weren't exactly ecstatic by their sides showing, here's what they thought.
Boss Solskjaer made six personnel changes following his side's 2-0 victory over Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday night.
TEAM NEWS!!!
— Full Time DEVILS (@FullTimeDEVILS) February 20, 2020
This is United's starting XI & bench vs Club Brugge!
Romero, Dalot, Lindelof, Lingard, Mata and Andreas come into the XI!
⚽ Score predictions, Reds? #CLUMUN #MUFC #UEL #EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/MI9neDIqwm
And it wasn't long before Man Utd fans were bemoaning Olé's decision to play Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira together...
Lingard AND Pereira start !!! pic.twitter.com/vELuNd1Mb5
— Rick The Red (@rickthereduk) February 20, 2020
Not even 10mins played and having Lingard and Periera on the pitch at the same time is massively noticeable.
— Keith Russell (@Keith_Russell) February 20, 2020
Lingard & Pereira in the team is like playing with 9 men against 13.
— United Religion (@Unitedology) February 20, 2020
Lingard and Pereira starting at the same time... pic.twitter.com/oCiEecA26v
— Arn@b (@arnab822) February 20, 2020
Their mood wasn't improved when Romero raced out of his goal and the quick thinking Bonaventure saw the ball lobbed over him to give Brugge the lead...
It was quite clear who the blame was levelled at.
United’s five-man defence undone by a long kickout, Dennis lobs Romero, Mignolet with the assist. Brutal in Brugges. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/vzH1Y7bN0J
— Tommy Rooney (@TomasORuanaidh) February 20, 2020
Romero was quite poor there. It is a good finish and intelligent goal to score but Romero should have hurried back. Nevertheless, we kept possession but could not break past their midfield until Pereira's shot. They are playing through our midfield comfortably.
— UtdArena. (@utdarena) February 20, 2020
That clean sheet record got Romero thinking he’s Manuel Neuer
— United Zone (@ManUnitedZone_) February 20, 2020
There was plenty wrong with United for that goal - but Romero being so far off his line makes up Bonaventure’s mind for him. Didn’t do his defenders any favours there#mufc
— James Robson (@jamesrobsonES) February 20, 2020
A really lacklustre performance from Man Utd, then...
Very poor Utd what’s turned up so far. I thought Ole might of put out a stronger Xl than this to be honest. #CLUMUN
— Darren Normington (@DarrenNormingt1) February 20, 2020
And then an absolute gift from the hosts... teenager De Cuyper threw the ball straight to Martial who made no mistake, and United fans were back on song.
TOOOOOONY MARTIAL CAME FROM FRANCE ... THE ENGLISH PRESS SAID HE HAD NO CHANCE ... 50 MILLION DOWN THE DRAIN ... TOOOONY MARTIAL SCORES AGAIN!!! ⚽️
— AKA (@akaworldwide) February 20, 2020
Martial’s ‘lazy’ though. Had absolutely no service all game yet again and created that goal bun himself.
— Jordan Clarke (@FourFourJordan) February 20, 2020
Superb from Martial. Proper striker making something out of absolutely nothing
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) February 20, 2020
Although some spectators were slightly more realistic...
Club Brugge 1-1 #MUFC United's best pass on the night comes from De Cuyper's throw-in. Martial does well to hold off Mechele + finish. Remarkable. United have been so bad
— Laurie Whitwell (@lauriewhitwell) February 20, 2020
And despite the reprieve, United fans were realistic about their team's sub-par performance at the break...
United were poor in most part of the 1st half. Still struggling to create chances - Martial's has an elite level conversion stats but only received the ball in a dangerous position a couple of times. Midfield ponderous. Williams, Dalot, Lingard & Pereira playing badly.
— jimiecheng (@jimiecheng) February 20, 2020
First half thoughts. We need to change someone in the midfield as it's non existent. Williams needs to be subbed or fix up. 1-1 feels fair as both teams have had chances #CLUMUN
— Utd Ismail (@IsmailUtd) February 20, 2020
Would still like to see Bruno come on at half-time for #MUFC. Martial looks busy and motivated tonight, & Bruno will open the door for him while demanding more from his midfield team-mates. This opponent is very beatable, but Utd have to step up.
— Rob Blanchette (@_Rob_B) February 20, 2020
There was a real growing frustration among those supporting the Premier League side... and you can guess who were bearing the brunt of the abuse.
Manutd not exciting to watch at all!!!!!!#CLUMUN
— Romeo Mathew Bamimore (@iamgetmedkane) February 20, 2020
I remember Cleverley getting so much stick but honestly he's like Paul Scholes compared to Lingard.
— E-WhItE ❄ (@St1Ewhite) February 20, 2020
#CLUMUN
I’m genuinely having a mental breakdown here watching Pereria and Lingard. I can’t cope
— Aidan Walsh (@AidanWalshMUFC) February 20, 2020
Andreas Pereira.
— Ryan. (@Vintage_Utd) February 20, 2020
Jesse Lingard.
Juan Mata.
Shockingly bad footballers.
Then a decision from the United boss that baffled many, Martial had been the one shining light yet the Norwegian chose to replace him.
Martial being subbed whilst Lingard and pereira are still on the pitch LOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLL #OleOut
— AndyRobertsLUHG (@AndyRobUnited) February 20, 2020
Why bring Martial off and leave Lingard and Pereira on the pitch?臘♂️
— Thomas (@cappaMUFC) February 20, 2020
Sub Martial, keep Lingard on, that makes sense
— Cantona & Best (@bestcanton7) February 20, 2020
There was a glimmer of hope that Bruno Fernandes may come to United's rescue. His introduction off the bench, certainly improved matters.
Bruno Fernandes has done more in 5 minute than Jesse Lingard has done all season. #mufc
— Simply Utd (@SimplyUtd) February 20, 2020
One minute is all it took for Bruno Fernandes to create something. Absolute gem.
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) February 20, 2020
In the 14 minutes he played, Bruno Fernandes took 20 touches, had 100% pass accuracy, won 3 of his 4 duels and drew a freekick.
— UtdArena. (@utdarena) February 20, 2020
He is some player pic.twitter.com/tQ1XXY82YT
But it was too little too late as United were unable to find a winner. It was a desperate display at times, but United grabbed a crucial away goal, every cloud right?
Source : 90min