It was a game of two halves where we did well in the first while Man United came back strongly in the second. We were by far the better team in the first half of the game. We kept the ball well and passed it around quiet nicely. We could have gone 1-0 up as early as the first minute but Tejera’s shot bounced off the right post. The first goal came off a corner. Tejera whipped the ball in and United cleared the ball but it fell at the feet of Sinclair just outside the box. He attempted a shoot but his mistimed shot fell at the feet of Bruma who brilliantly flicked it to Mellis and he slotted it perfectly past Ben Amos. The second goal came as a result of a good buildup play. Sinclair won the ball around the final third and passed it to Tejera who pushed it in the path of running Magnay. Sinclair continued his run and met the ball crossed by Magnay from the right with a powerful header which was too much for Man United goalie to stop.
The second half was mostly Man United. I was disappointed by the way we approached the game. It was there to be won but we sat back and got a bit complacent and paid for our mistakes. Both the goals could have been avoided. Nielsen lost the ball in the midfield and they caught us on the break. We gave too much time and space for one of the Silva twins and he struck a powerful shot which was out of Taylor’s reach. The second goal was all the more disappointing as it came just at the death. All they needed to do was to clear the ball but our players had other ideas. Bridcutt who I thought played well in the middle today fouled a United player in the box and referee had little hesitation in awarding a penalty. Gibson went up to take the stop kick and made no mistake.
I was impressed by our defence especially in the first half as they looked quiet assured. Mancienne looked too good for this level of football and brought the ball out of defence a few times. Magnay was our best player in the first half IMO. He defended well and went forward at every opportunity. One of the things I like about him is his strength and is not someone who can be easily knocked off the ball. Bruma and Van Aanholt, who was taken off in the second half after picking a knock looked decent and composed in possession. Taiwo came on towards the end replacing Van Aanholt.
The midfield trio of Mellis, Tejera and Bridcutt worked hard and were on top in the first half. You can compare the three to Lampard, Ballack and Mikel. In the second half Tejera and Mellis came off for Fernandes and Ferreira. Mellis was the pick amongst the midfielders for me though Tejera also had a good game. Di Santo had a relatively quiet game and was brought off just before the half time as he had picked up a knock. Sinclair didn’t saw much of the ball in the game and I have always been critical of this aspect of his game. He goes missing once too often for my liking. In the second half I think there was some 20-25 minute period where he had just one or two touches of the ball. Stoch was the pick of forward players. He was direct and quick and whipped in some good crosses. One of them fell to Magnay in the first half who headed it across but was saved by the goalkeeper. Nielsen was also disappointing for me.
In the goal, Hilario was hardly called upon in the first half but Rhys Taylor was tested as soon as he came on in the second half. I think he did well and made some good stops. I liked the one time when it was two Man United against Taylor and goal looked inevitable but before the United player could pass the ball, he came from nowhere diving forward and cleared the ball. Good performance from him.
The substitutions in the second half took away a bit of our flow but I think 2-2 was a fair result considering the performances put in by both teams over the 90 minutes.
Team: Hilario (Taylor 45), Magnay, Bruma, Mancienne, van Aanholt (Taiwo 72), Bridcutt (c), Mellis (Fernandes 80), Tejera (Ferreira 73), Stoch, Sinclair, Di Santo (Nielsen 35)
Goals: Mellis 30, Sinclair 45
Posted by Y 
Blue Tomorrow 