It was another dramatic night of European football at Old Trafford on Thursday as Manchester United and AC Milan went to war once again. The two juggernauts are both attempting to vault themselves back to relevancy on the world stage, but last night, neither could quite get over the finish line in a tense 1-1 draw.
The Diallo effect
At the age of just 18, Amad Diallo has already been tipped to do some incredible things in his career. Still, the proof is in the pudding, and many fans wanted to see whether or not he could actually get the job done on the big stage – and last night he proved that he’s well on his way to doing just that. It may only be one goal but the fact that he was able to find the back of the net with that sort of composure bodes well for his future with many United fans excited to see what he can produce between now and the end of the campaign.
Defensive woes for United
Firstly, that miss from Harry Maguire was horrendous and we can’t actually believe it happened. Secondly, we want to know what was running through Dean Henderson’s mind prior to the equaliser. It’s all well and good saying that this Manchester United team have turned a corner with regards to their defensive work, but what we’re actually seeing play out before our eyes tells us something very different. There are problems in this squad and the summer transfer window needs to be the time when they’re addressed.
Advantage Milan?
AC Milan are priced at 11/1 with 888sport to win the Europa League whereas Manchester United are 4/1. Given Milan’s away goal coupled together with the momentum they’ll be taking forward into the second leg, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to us. We think that late goal has completely shifted the narrative in this one to the point where we’d be surprised if United went through. Yes, it’s still 1-1 on aggregate, but we don’t think people understand just how valuable an away goal can be – especially against a team like United.
Match Report
Manchester United: Henderson (6), Telles (6.5), Maguire (6), Bailly (6.5), Wan-Bissaka (7), Matic (7), McTominay (6.5), James (7), Fernandes (7), Greenwood (6.5), Martial (6), Diallo (7), Williams (6), Shaw (6.5), Fred (5.5)
AC Milan: Donnarumma (6.5), Calabria (7), Kjaer (8), Tomori (6.5), Dalot (6.5), Meite (7), Kessie (6.5), Saelemaekers (7), Diaz (6), Krunic (7.5), Leao (6.5), Kalulu (6.5), Castillejo (6), Tonali (6.5)
Referee: Slavko Vincic
Goals: Diallo :: Kjaer
Yellow Cards: McTominay, Saelemaekers
Red Cards: N/A
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