Manchester United suffered an extremely painful defeat in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. The team of the troubled Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went to visit Watford with no less than 4-1. Donny van de Beek came in halfway through the game and immediately showed himself with a goal, but could not prevent United’s counter from getting stuck on one victory from the last seven competition matches. Harry Maguire was sent off with an indirect red card fifteen minutes before the end. United drops from sixth to seventh place due to the defeat and faces Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.
United really had nothing to say against Watford in the first half and should be happy that the home side held back on the score. Claudio Ranieri’s team appeared remarkably fresh and received a penalty after ten minutes of play, after Scott McTominay committed a foul. However, Ismaïla Sarr was unable to beat De Gea twice. The first attempt, which was shot in the rebound by Kiko, had to be taken over. Sarr also failed on the second attempt. It turned out to be a stay of execution, as Watford still took the lead after half an hour of play.
After good preparatory work on the left side of the field of Emmanuel Dennis, it was a breeze for Joshua King to leave De Gea without a chance from close range: 1-0. United didn’t have a moment to spare and had to watch as the score was doubled on the stroke of half-time. Sarr checked a pass from Kiko and suddenly hit the left corner out of reach of De Gea: 2-0. Solskjaer decided to intervene and bring Van de Beek and Anthony Martial within the lines halfway through the game. It led to a completely different game image after the break, with Van de Beek playing a leading role.
DONNY VAN DE BEEK! ?? The Dutchman is cold in the field and heads the connecting goal against the ropes very early in the second half?? What a wonderful boost for the Dutchman??#ZiggoSport #PremierLeague #WATMUN pic.twitter.com/WGgK5wAA2a
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) Nov 20, 2021
The midfielder was barely five minutes inside the lines when he took the connecting goal. After a cross from Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo headed the ball back, after which it was easy for Van de Beek to head the ball into the empty goal: 2-1. Five minutes later he appeared to give Ronaldo the equalizer, but the Portuguese superstar came face to face with Ben Foster on the goalkeeper’s shoulder. When United then had to continue with ten men after a second yellow card for Maguire, the resistance of the visitors seemed broken.
???????? ?? United have to continue with ten men after Maguire takes his second yellow. Is this Ole’s last race behind the wheel? ?? #ZiggoSport #WATMUN #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/EtZPZFc2AM
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) Nov 20, 2021
Watford, however, was unable to close the game for good, leaving United’s hopes of a result alive. A goal by Ronaldo on a pass from Van de Beek was disallowed for offside and Bruno Fernandes shot over from the edge of the penalty area in a promising position. In the stoppage time of the game, the curtain fell for United after all. On a pass from Dennis, João Pedro shot the ball into the short corner under De Gea: 3-1. The final chord came in the last minute of injury time to Dennis, who, like Pedro, scored from the right side of the sixteen: 4-1.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 29 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 23 |
| 3 | West Ham United | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 23 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 22 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton W. | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 19 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | -1 | 17 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | -2 | 17 |
| 9 | Crystal Palace | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | -7 | 16 |
| 11 | Everton | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 15 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | -5 | 15 |
| 13 | Southampton | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | -3 | 14 |
| 14 | Brentford | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 13 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | -4 | 13 |
| 16 | Watford | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | -4 | 13 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | -7 | 11 |
| 18 | Burnley | 12 | 1 | 6 | 5 | -6 | 9 |
| 19 | Norwich City | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -20 | 8 |
| 20 | Newcastle United | 12 | 0 | 6 | 6 | -12 | 6 |