Jose angry as United lets in late equalizers
Print Edition
THERE used to be no team better than Manchester United at scoring much-needed late goals.
Under Jose Mourinho, the opposite is happening.
In the last two months, United has drawn five of its seven games in the English Premier League. Three of those draws — against Stoke, Arsenal and most recently Everton on Sunday — have come after conceding equalizers in the 82nd minute or later.
“This is what we are doing for a long time — playing well, better than opponents,” Mourinho said in comments that could easily be on a loop in post-match news conferences. “Getting draws but deserving victories.”
The dropped points have left United in sixth place in the standings after 14 games, 13 points behind first-place Chelsea and more crucially nine points off the UEFA Champions League qualification positions. No team has dropped more points from conceding goals in the last 10 minutes of matches this season than United, which also lost 1-3 at Watford in September after letting in goals in the 83rd minute and in injury time.
Mourinho has called United the “most unlucky team in the EPL”. It’s certainly the case that United has failed to win games it has dominated.
Instead of “unlucky,” Mourinho might chose the words “least clinical”. And the Portuguese might also need to look at his own role in this.
Against Arsenal on November 19, United was winning 1-0 and in control of the match when Mourinho decided to replace playmaker Juan Mata, who had scored the goal, with defensive midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin in the 85th. Momentum quickly shifted and substitute Olivier Giroud powered in a late header to earn Arsenal a 1-1 draw. That was Arsenal’s only attempt on target all match.
On Sunday against Everton, United again was up 1-0 after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s first-half goal when Mourinho made another defensive substitution in the 85th, bringing on Marouane Fellaini for Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
But Fellaini’s first meaningful contribution to the match was to foul Idrissa Gueye with a clumsy challenge in the area. Leighton Baines then equalized from the penalty spot.
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