Peter Schmeichel slams 3 Manchester United stars for their performances in 2-2 Tottenham draw
Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel slammed three players after the Red Devils managed to secure a draw against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Thursday, April 27.
Erik ten Hag's side went 2-0 up in the first half but squandered the lead in the second 45 minutes as the game ended 2-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Schmeichel wasn't pleased with Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, and Tyrell Malacia's performances on the night.
United's first-choice defenders Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are out of action due to injury. Harry Maguire also picked up an injury in training, leading to Lindelof and Shaw starting as center-backs against Spurs. However, both had disappointing outings and leaked plenty of chances.
Ivan Perisic sent in a cross into the box and Eric Dier, who was completely free but missed a header from a few yards out in the second half. Manchester United legend Schmeichel analyzed that chance after the game, saying (via Metro):
"With Varane and Martinez out, defensively we are a bit vulnerable. First of all, there is no pressure on the cross, they should stop the cross at birth really, and then nobody follows in. Lindelof is half a centre-half, half a full-back and Luke Shaw is a full-back and they are drawn towards the ball, they are not drawn to marking spaces or players."
Peter Schmeichel then criticized Malacia for leaking the second goal as the fullback allowed Harry Kane to easily set up Son Heung-Min.
"And that second goal, I don’t know what Malacia is doing. The ball runs straight past him and he just looks at it. You have just come on, you have to make some sort of impact, you have a job to do," he said.
With the draw, Manchester United remain fourth in the league table, six points above Tottenham with two games in hand.
Peter Schmeichel criticizes Erik ten Hag's decision in Manchester United's draw against Tottenham
Manchester United scored twice in the first half against Spurs, thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford. Tottenham then got back into the game via a stunning finish from Pedro Porro in the second half.
Erik ten Hag then replaced Aaron Wan-Bissaka with Tyrell Malacia in the 71st minute. Diogo Dalot moved to the right-back position, while Malacia occupied the left flank. Peter Schmeichel wasn't pleased with the decision, as he said:
"I’m not sure why he [ten Hag] took Wan-Bissaka off because he was really good today. We’re 2-1 up, you don’t change it, it is not that bad where you take your best defender off."
Malacia's lackadaisical defending perhaps allowed the Spurs to score their second goal of the game.
Manchester United, meanwhile, will next face Aston Villa at home on Sunday, April 30.