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Sheffield United 3-3 Manchester United: 3 Talking Points | Premier League 2019-20

Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

It was a thriller in Bramall Lane as Sheffield United and Manchester United jostled for supremacy in a truly roller coaster encounter.

The Blades dominated proceedings from the first blow of the whistle, as they constantly pressed and wrestled possession away from the Red Devils in the first half. Sheffield forced David de Gea to make two brilliant saves in quick succession early on, but he could do nothing in the 19th minute as John Fleck popped up to put the ball beyond his reach.

Chris Wilder's men doubled the lead in the 52nd minute via Lys Mousset, thanks to some shambolic defending from Phil Jones. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men rolled back the years somewhat, as they took the lead in the space of seven minutes, with Brandon Williams, Mason Greenwood, and Marcus Rashford finding the back of the net.

The Blades, however, crashed the United victory party in the 90th minute, as substitute Oliver McBurnie stabbed the ball home from close range. In this article, we discuss a few talking points from the thrilling Premier League encounter:


#3 Manchester United were dominated in the first half

John Fleck celebrates his first-half goal
John Fleck celebrates his first-half goal

It was a painful one to watch for Manchester United fans, especially in the first half. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men could simply provide no answers to an energetic display from Sheffield United.

They were outfoxed in the midfield and down the flanks, as wave after wave of Sheffield attacking manoeuvres went by largely unchecked. The United players couldn't hang onto the ball for more than a few seconds most of the time as a result of a wonderful execution of the high press by Chris Wilder's men.

Most damning was the fact that the United players were out-muscled off the ball time and again, with Lys Mousset getting the better of Phil Jones in the build-up to the first goal an excellent example of that trend.

The United midfield was the definition of flat, and the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Daniel James were largely marooned in the final third. At the end of the first 45 minutes, United had just one shot, and The Blades recorded 7 shots, with 5 of them on target.

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