KEEP OUT OF ROY’S WAY!
United legend will be none too Keane about two more howlers from De Gea
MAN UTD 1 CHELSEA 3
TAXI for David De Gea! After this latest horror show it would be the best the Manchester United goalkeeper could hope for if Roy Keane had anything to do with it.
The Sky Sports pundit and former United captain laid into the goalkeeper after his last visit to London, when he allowed Tottenham’s
Steven Bergwijn to fire a goal through him.
Keane said he would not have let him back on the team bus, although manager
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said in his player’s defence: “I still think he is best goalkeeper in the world. He wins games for us.”
Sorry, Ole, but he very much lost this one for you – though not on his own.
Chelsea played with energy, got their tactics right to negate the persistent threat of Bruno Fernandes and took their chances when they came.
Those chances were rather handed on a plate to them on an evening that most of the United players will want Keane to forget. Thank goodness the game was on the BBC.
The first mistake belonged to skipper Harry Maguire – another who attracted the sharper end of the Irishman’s tongue after the Tottenham game.
By going for the same ball as team-mate Eric Bailly, he delivered a sickening clash of heads which ended with the Ivory Coast defender being taken off on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask. It clearly unsettled United.
Moments after the restart from a lengthy injury break, Cesar Azpilicueta delivered what should have been a straightforward near-post cross to deal with.
Except that Victor Lindelof was on his heels. Even then, Olivier Giroud’s contact was only slight and should easily have been saved. Instead, it slid off a De Gea glove and crawled over the line.
The reason that De Gea in particular will be scrutinised yet again for his part in United’s downfall came less than a minute after the restart.
It was a time for United to consolidate and go again.
As a promising teenager, it would be cruel to beat up BrandonWilliams too much for the wayward pass he played to
Mason Mount. He will be feeling bad enough about it already – and anyway it should have been no harm done.
A hopeful 25-yard drive from the England midfielder was straight at De Gea – but somehow it found its way into the back of the net. This was a worse mistake than for the first goal by the experienced Spain goalkeeper, who had plenty of time to see it.
The blunder could only have been an unforgivable lapse in concentration.
Yet, more was to come. Another low cross after 74 minutes was turned into the United net by Maguire himself – beating De Gea inside a gap he had left by his near post.
Fernandes was able to claim some vestiges of respectability for United with a well-taken penalty after Chelsea substitute Callum Hudson
Odoi, still trying to catch up with the pace of the game, crudely fouled Anthony Martial in the area.
But there can be no glossing over this latest series of De Gea failures.
Sergio Romero was picked out by the cameras sitting glumly in the stands. He had seen United through their previous five FA Cup matches, conceding just the single goal.
Dean Henderson is also on loan at Sheffield United.
But their manager, Solskjaer, is convinced De Gea is the man for the big time. In the games against West Ham and that big six-pointer at Leicester next Sunday, a place in the Champions League is at stake. That really is the big time.
Is he really going to put his trust in a goalkeeper who has already cost United points against Watford, Everton and Spurs, with things so delicately balanced?
Too much loyalty shown by the Manchester United manager could end up being the biggest blunder of all this season.