“He put Cristiano Ronaldo on his backside” – David Edwards salutes Wolves defender for display against Manchester United talisman
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder David Edwards was all praise for Max Killman’s performance during their 1-0 away victory against Manchester United.
The 24-year old Killman has been a regular for Wolves since last season and started on the right side of a three-man defense against Manchester United. Killman was a constant threat down the right and did a brilliant job defensively in the hard-earned victory.
Killman was involved in a physical challenge against Cristiano Ronaldo in the first minute and was not caught out throughout the game. David Edwards praised the defender, who ended the game with the highest interceptions, blocks and passing accuracy among the Wolves team. Killman also finished second behind only Conor Coady with respect to clearances.
Edwards said:
"I also have to give massive praise to Max Kilman. Right from the first minute when he put Cristiano Ronaldo on his backside, there’s not many players who would do that because of who Ronaldo is. Another top performance on the biggest stage, which is amazing to see. The team is getting better and they will score more goals."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United left frustrated after first loss under Ralf Rangnick
Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in two goals against Burnley but was nowhere near his best against Wolves. The Portuguese, in recent games, has looked a frustrated figure and has been caught mouthing off his teammates multiple times. Manchester United have now won just two of their last five games across competitions and are in desperate need of a change in fortunes.
Their fixtures since the festive period have been easier, a trend that is set to continue at least domestically until March. However, the games against Wolves and Newcastle United have brought forth familiar criticism. Manchester United’s season so far has been a matter of “one step forward, two steps backwards.” The loss against Wolves will be particularly bitter due to the manner in which it happened.
A lack of creativity plagued the midfield of Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic, who were absolutely dominated by Joao Moutinho and Rubin Neves. Both players had multiple chances to score and it was only Wolves’ poor finishing that allowed Manchester United to keep the margin at a single goal.
Ralf Rangnick claimed after the game that his players simply did not arrive at the positions they needed to in order to press effectively. Multiple players continued their poor form and Manchester United let go of a glorious opportunity to sneak into the top-6 with a game in hand.
It is clear that Rangnick will require time to effectively integrate his tactics. However, fans will be left disappointed after another string of poor performances from multiple players.