With just eight matches left to go in the Premier League, finishing in a Champions League spot is almost entirely beyond the reach of Manchester United.
This was all but confirmed on Thursday night, as the Red Devils suffered a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Chelsea, despite having the lead in the 99th minute.
Even though the Blues had 28 attempts – and ten on target – Erik ten Hag still seemed content with the way his side played, but in truth, a victory would have only masked another unconvincing performance.
However, there are certainly some positives that can be taken from the tie, with Alejandro Garnacho starring and one other player impressing even more than the Argentine.
Alejandro Garnacho’s performance against Chelsea
19-year-old Garnacho was yet again one of Man United’s most important players last night, and he so nearly became the match-winner.
In truth, the number 17 was rather quiet for his standards in spells, failing to retain the ball, as shown by his 71% pass accuracy and the fact he lost the ball 14 times.
That said, he came up with two important goals, two of which displayed different skills that the winger is slowly developing, with the first highlighting his anticipation and ability to press, and the second showing excellent movement and desire.
To further support the influence he had on the team, Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst handed Garnacho an 8/10 rating for his performance, but he still wasn’t the best on the field.
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ByTom LeverMar 15, 2024 Antony’s stats against Chelsea
Since moving to United from Ajax for a whopping £86m last summer, Antony has received lots of criticism, particularly for his performances this campaign – previously dubbed "frustrating" by club legend Gary Neville.
The Brazilian has made 24 appearances in the Premier League this season, starting just his 12th time last night, when he finally ended his terrible drought in attack.
Against Mauricio Pochettino’s side, Antony put on a show of intent, and despite giving away a penalty in the first half, he certainly made up for his mistake throughout the rest of the game.
Just like Garnacho, Luckhurst gave the winger an 8/10 rating, stating that 'this was one of his best performances for United', which the table below also indicates.
Assists
1
Shots
3
Key passes
2
Pass accuracy
86%
Successful dribbles
6/6
Ground Duels won
9
Tackles
2
As you can see, Antony was incredible and impactful down the right, dominating Marc Cucurella from minute one, who was dribbled past on four occasions.
The 24-year-old showed signs of the player the United faithful thought they were signing, completing six out of six dribbles and playing with the freedom to express and entertain.
Nothing provides more evidence for that than his first goal contribution of the Premier League campaign, which was an absolutely beautiful outside-of-the-foot cross that landed on a plate for Garnacho to finish.
On top of that assist, the number 21 played a huge role in the first two goals, and it’s fair to say that he was United’s most threatening attacker on the evening.
Antony was also strong in his duels and put a shift in defensively in what was a complete performance from the winger, who needed just that to revive his United career.
After that showing, Ten Hag will find it extremely difficult to put the former Ajax ace on the bench, which may indicate that as long as he continues to perform, Antony could once again cement himself as the first-choice right winger.