Manchester United produced a stirring comeback to secure a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
For 45 free-flowing minutes against Aston Villa, Manchester United’s attack clicked into gear and gave the Old Trafford crowd something to cheer about.
Alejandro Garnacho was named man of the match, while Rasmus Hojlund was the big winner, scoring his first ever Premier League goal.
But not everybody ended the night in a better place than when it began. Here is a look at three players whose roles were weakened in the win.
Antony
Antony dropped out out of the Manchester United line-up with Alejandro Garnacho moving to the right wing, to accommodate Marcus Rashford on the left.
The Brazilian was not missed. Garnacho on the right looked like a more natural fit for him than on the left, and his direct play was in direct contrast to Antony’s hesitant displays.
United will be strongly fancied to select the same front three against Nottingham Forest, which will mean another game on the sidelines for Antony.
He came on for the final 10 minutes against Villa, plus nine minutes of stoppage tome, and completed only one pass.
With Amad returning to fitness too, it may feel like the walls are closing in for Antony. At the halfway point in the Premier League season, he has no goals and no assists from 855 minutes of football, plus a further 315 minutes in cup competitions.
Scott McTominay
Erik ten Hag‘s tactics over the past couple of months has seen Scott McTominay pushed up as an attacking midfielder, to try and help the team score more goals.
At times this has paid off, see games against Chelsea and Brentford where he struck twice each.
But so often it backfired, with United’s midfield cut through too easily, see recent defeats against Bournemouth and West Ham.
With Bruno Fernandes, in there too, it doesn’t work, and the club captain is more important to this team than McTominay.
McTominay dropped out of the starting line-up for this game, with Christian Eriksen adding much more composure and quality to the midfield.
We wouldn’t be surprised to see McTominay return against a physical Nottingham Forest side, but this victory was vindication for the many who wanted to see him dropped, believing Manchester United are better team without him.
Sofyan Amrabat
This was a statement victory on loan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat would have been desperate to be a part of.
Instead the Moroccan was a mere spectator as young whizkid Kobbie Mainoo held the fort, showing his ability to anchor the midfield.
Amrabat will get games because Mainoo simply cannot play every one, but his chances of earning a permanent move are not currently looking great.
He needs to build a compelling case to persuade United to pay up for his services, and right now, United are showing they can get by just fine without him.
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