Breaching defence tougher going than breaching website
A CYBER attack breached Manchester United’s defences with ease ahead of this clash.
A real pity then that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s home boys can’t do the same to opponents at Old Trafford.
Once more on their own turf the men in red laboured and toiled against a team they were expected to blow away.
And yet again they had to rely on talisman Bruno Fernandes to make the decisive breakthrough – this time with a retaken penalty.
But it was a painful watch for United fans who are dreaming of more.
Big guns galore littered United’s teamsheet but there was a depressingly familiar feel about this performance.
After heroics from Fernandes at Everton before the international break hopes were high United had turned a corner.
But Slaven Bilic’s brave Baggies were no lambs to the slaughter. And the Achilles heel which is holding United back was laid bare for all to see as Solskjaer’s men again failed to conjure the magic.
United hadn’t managed to string back-to-back league wins together all season after an erratic start to the new campaign.
That’s a mirror of their poor performance in the first half of last season when it took until December to win successive league matches – albeit they’d played 14 of their 38 games by that stage.
The struggle to get going again this season keeps the conversation bubbling about Solskjaer’s long-term ability to eventually turn this club back into title winners.
And with a tough December beckoning with Manchester City, Leeds and Leicester all lying in wait United needed to get their bandwagon rolling.
So a clash with a West Brom side with their own abysmal record seemed to be the perfect gift for Solskjaer – even if United hadn’t won any of their four League games at Old Trafford so far.
Yet again, though, this proved far from easy for a United side who struggle to breakdown resilient, well organised teams with a plan to frustrate.
Bilic had his relegation zone stars well drilled and up for a battle.
But they did more than just defend. Albion fought impressively in a mirror image of their manager and had a decent-looking penalty award rescinded.
United didn’t carve many big moments, especially in a turgid first half, but Bilic needed former United junior keeper Sam Johnstone to keep them in the game.
Johnstone was at United seven years but being No.1 was never an option.
But he showed his ability with a superb save to deny Anthony Martial in a rare first half moment of danger.
When United need rescuing inevitably Fernandes rides in on a white charger himself – scoring from the spot at the second time of asking.