The last time out against Bournemouth was some sort of a bore if you ask me. No real link up play or interesting touches. At this point I miss the Manchester United of old. Against Bournemouth there were just two players that stood out for me in the Red Devils’ squad and they were Scott Mctominay and Luke Shaw, maybe when Marcus Rashford came on there was a bit of purpose but I am not being modest when I say Bournemouth played better. That’s past anyway and 3 points picked up by United.
Manchester City beat Tottenham 4-1 last night to extend their lead at the top of the league to 14 points though Man United were yet to play at the time. A United win will cut the City lead back to 11 points and I can say without mincing words the title race is over. The rest of the teams should just slug it out for 2nd position. City now boast of 16 straight wins in the English League and are in good stead for finishing the season unbeaten. They have beaten, battered and bruised fellow title contenders (Man U, Chelsea and maybe Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal), so Pep Guardiola (Man City’s coach) clearly means business.
As I was taking the walk to the pub to catch the game against West Brom, I wasn’t as confident going into the game as I was when Bournemouth visited Old Trafford. But I am always scared of teams that come up against Man United in terrible form, some of them just pick up against the Red Devils. The 3 points for United would go a long way. The game kicked off in a drab manner and there were no real chances in the first 20 minutes.
Romelu Lukaku however broke the deadlock in the 27th minute and I was hoping for a second goal before half time (yes greedy me). A deflection off Jesse Lingard’s shot by Hegazi put United 2 nil up in the 35th minute and I was rest assured of another 3 points at this stage. West Brom came close a couple of times but they were just mere threats nothing to have gotten the Red Devils worried much.
The second half was quite interesting with the home side (West Brom) upping the ante and trying to get a goal. Their efforts paid off in the 77th minute with Gareth Barry getting the goal. At this point I was at the edge of my seat almost spilling my beer because of the pressure from the Baggies and my beloved United not taking the chances coming their way. The game ended 2-1. United are 11 points behind City and as the busy CHRISTmas schedule approaches where the Man City squad would really be tested, not in terms of opposition but with regards to strength of their squad. If the Pep led side can scale through this period unscathed then other teams should begin to prepare for the next season.
Next up for Manchester United is the EFL Cup quarter finals game against Bristol City on Wednesday night while Man City would be up against Leicester City on Tuesday night.
Thanks for your time guys, do have a great week ahead.
