It was coming wasn’t it? After a surprising run of victories, Manchester United were back to their old self playing squared balls and slow paced football against West Brom. Their misery was compounded with Juan Mata’s silly red card in the first half.
In the end, United were undone by a Salomon Rondon’s goal which could be a huge blow to their Champions League aspirations for next season. Louis Van Gaal may have pointed out to Mata’s red card for the defeat, but it was not the week where he would have got the sympathy from his fans.
Gameweek 29 saw Arsenal and Liverpool come back from losing positions to get positive results, and that too with 10-men. The defeat against West Brom highlighted United’s existing ability to break down opponents and have sent them 2-steps back after a brief spell of success.
On the wake of West Brom’s 1-0 win over Manchester United, we take a look at things learned and key talking points from the game at The Hawthorns.
Champions League dreams over?
Van Gaal was defiant in his press-conference, when he said, United need 27 points to secure the top 4 spot, but doing it will be very difficult for his side. West Ham and Manchester City are ahead of United right now, and given how both won on the weekend, United’s Champions League dream could be heading for an early reality check.
West Brom’s safety guaranteed
Not long ago, many were questioning Tony Pulis and his work with West Brom. Some were suggesting that, The Baggies were one of the contenders to go down this season. However, with 3 wins and a draw in their last 4 games, Pulis and West Brom are guaranteed Premier League football next season.
One step forward, but two steps back for United
It has been the theme for United this season, where they have failed to build on successful results. After the wins over Midtjylland, Shrewsbury, Arsenal and Watford, it seemed like we could see the United of old finishing the season strongly. However, with defeat against West Brom, we may have seen the real United and the obvious problems with their squad.
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