Manchester United and Sheffield United played out a Premier League classic as both teams took a share of the spoils in a 3-3 draw.
The Red Devils looked like being in for a very long afternoon after going 2-0 down.
But the spirit of Manchester United came to the fore as they conjured up one of their trademark comebacks to leave the hosts shell-shocked. We scored 3 goals in 7 minutes, which looked to have stolen the points.
However, Chris Wilder’s side scored a late equaliser after a VAR check in what was a pulsating clash.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have learned a lot about his players in that match and should be delighted by the fighting spirit his young side showcased.
There were some players however who will come away from Bramhall Lane extremely disappointed with their performances.
Phil Jones
On a day where Chris Smalling scored and assisted twice over in Italy, United fans had to endure watching Phil Jones being Phil Jones.
His name on the team sheet is enough to radiate panic, but his first Premier League start of the season was nothing short of a disaster.
There were a couple of crunching tackles from Jones in quick succession, which showed he was up for the physical challenge and eager to impress Solskjaer.
But that was as good as it got, after an aimless long-ball forward from the hosts, Jones had Mousset alongside him for company as he looked to clear his sides lines and take the pressure off.
United’s number four ended up on his backside after getting out-muscled by the Frenchman, which led to the opening goal.
Solskjaer had seen enough and Jones was replaced at half-time by Jesse Lingard.
With Axel Tuanzebe coming on later in the match and getting some valuable game time, Jones’ future appearances need to be restricted to Europa League dead rubbers and domestic cup matches against lower league sides.
He simply isn’t good enough.
Andreas Pereira
Solskjaer opted to drop the Brazilian into centre midfield alongside his compatriot Fred in the absence of Scott McTominay.
Pereira’s sloppiness in possession has been apparent since being given an extended run in the number 10 role, but playing against a side that will not give you a second to settle, Pereira needed to be sharp in possession.
Unfortunately he was totally the opposite and very lacklustre, he gave the ball away far too cheaply in crucial areas and put his team on the back foot.
Solskjaer may have regretted not giving James Garner his first Premier League start, but Pereira’s decision making lets him down and shouldn’t be trusted to play in the midfield in high tempo matches.
Garner will surely start against Astana possibly alongside his former under-23 midfield partner Dylan Levitt.
A positive performance from Garner in Kazakhstan with McTominay and Paul Pogba should warrant a Premier League start against Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
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