LFL: MAN UTD

After going behind very early in the game we were by no means at our best and we never really looked like getting back into it. Defeats at this level are to be expected and United deserved their win but as we enter the international break we can look back at a much better start than most of us could have imagined.

BEFORE

This afternoon's match is going to be crucial for our opponents as many Man United fans want Amorim to go if they fail to beat us today. So, there's a lot of pressure on them while we can approach the game as just another Premier League match. In the past this would have been a major challenge though Manchester United is a great club, they haven't had a great team for a while. That's not to say that I expect this game to be at all easy and I'd be more than happy with another draw prior to the imminent international break. Mukiele has recovered from his injury and will be available so I imagine we'll field the same side as last weekend. Amad Diallo was injured so I don't know if he'll play any part this afternoon. If he does feature, I'm sure he'll be welcomed by the majority of our fans. I also don't know yet how I'll be able to engage with the match and do my report but I'm hoping to get it online somewhere. Match prediction: 1-1. 

I got the team-news just before 2.00 and there were a couple of changes in the starting line-up with Adingra and Traore in for Rigg and Talbi, who were both among the subs. Amad was starting for them.

THE GAME

There was a minute's silence in memory of those killed in Thursday's attack at a nearby synagogue and it was immaculately observed. 

I could hear, “Red 'n' White Army!” booming out early on. We had a good chance in the fourth minute when Adingra put in a great cross but Traore failed to make contact with it. The whistle went for offside anyway. We'd had much the better of the opening stages but in the seventh minute Masuaku did some stout defending after a quick break from Amad. Next minute United were ahead when Mount fired home from an Mbeumo cross. Commentators Benno and Barnesy were concerned at how much time and space Mount had. Our fans remained in good voice and the team battled back. Xhaka and Alderete bashed into each other and there was a hold-up but both were able to continue. Roefs made yet another important save, this time from Amad, in the twenty-first. Next thing United created another chance when Amad and Mbeumo combined down their right and Roefs saved again.

We continued to be very much on the back foot but managed not to go further behind. We conceded the first corner and got that away but shortly afterwards Alderete was the first player to go into the book. As we passed the half-hour mark we hadn't had a sniff upfront for ages and next thing we did concede again when Sesko chipped in from a long throw. He'd also had plenty of time to do so. As Barnesy said, we had some work to do. Benno said we were missing Ballard – well, he was on the bench. Sadiki was also yellow-carded and then Ballard did come on, for Adingra, in the thirty-seventh and as we switched to three at the back I hoped he'd give us some strength where we'd been lacking it. Shaw escaped a booking from referee Stuart Attwell and that perplexed the commentators. In the closing minutes we had a mini purple patch and won our first corner following a shot from Xhaka. There were three minutes of added-time and right at the end Hume was apparently kicked in the head by Sesko in their box and we seemed to have been awarded a penalty. However, after a VAR consultation we were only awarded a corner. Ballard got a good header on it but his effort went just wide. The half-time whistle soon went and it remained 2-0 to them.  

I hoped that we'd soon see Mayenda on in place of Traore as I reckoned he'd be champing at the bit and Traore didn't seem up to speed yet. We certainly had something of a mountain to climb but an early goal back would put a very different complexion on things. As we kicked off again the sun made an appearance through the rain-clouds and maybe that was an omen. The opening minutes of the second period were even enough and I could still hear our fans making plenty of noise. Mount shot well wide after the ball was whipped off Xhaka's toe. Traore was booked when Benno and Barnesy were shouting for a penalty. Le Bris didn't waste much time making major changes, though, as he brought on Brobbey, Mayenda and Talbi in place of Sadiki, Masuaku and Isidor just before the hour-mark. Time was whizzing by and we were sounding like we were much the likelier side to concede. Benno said that we hadn't got going in the game. A Mayenda run resulted in a corner from which Hume miscued his attempt from outside the area. United made a couple of changes in the sixty-fifth with Dorgu replacing Dalot and Cunha coming on for Mount. I was glad to hear the back of Mount as he'd been a constant threat. 

With twenty minutes on the clock things had gone quiet and my hopes of a point were slipping away. We were still having a go, though, and a decent cross from Mukiele just eluded Brobbey. Xhaka was booked in the seventy-sixth and those cards were stacking up ominously. A few minutes later Mayenda shot over from about twenty yards out when he should have done better. We then made our final change when we brought on Geertruida in place of Hume and he soon made a great tackle on Cunha with the ball going for a United corner. We had a great chance in the final minute when Mayenda fed Talbi but he shot straight at Lammens in goal. There were five minutes of added-time and not much of note happened before it ended 2-0.