BRU COULDN’T
United’s 22-shot flops allow Roy’s Hornets off hook
THE first strains of ‘The Great Escape’ started in the away end after about 70 minutes.
At that stage, even the most optimistic among Watford’s fans did not think they would actually get away with it in the end.
Manchester United had been utterly dominant, creating chances left, right and centre. Surely a winner would come?
That it didn’t, and that a one-sided contest ended with real damage to United’s top-four prospects, was staggering.
Boss Ralf Rangnick admitted the point felt like a defeat but insisted, with good reason given their 22 clear chances, that only their finishing had let them down.
The German said: “Five massive chances in the first half, three in the second.
“Sometimes we were unlucky, like when Cristiano hit the post but we had oneon-one opportunities. This is not luck, this is sharpness, efficiency and being clinical.
“It is frustrating, we did everything apart from score.
“It is hard to take that result. Our job as coaches is to help the team create enough chances.
“If we only had two or three opportunities in the game, we could ask ourselves what can we do to create more?
“But the number of clear chances we had today have to be enough to win a game like this.”
For Watford boss Roy
Hodgson, this was a fourth consecutive game unbeaten at Old Trafford having won two and drawn one on visits with Crystal Palace.
And while this point was only his sixth in six games for Watford, it could yet be significant in their battle against relegation.
Hodgson said: “We should be able to believe that if we can keep reproducing performances like that, then we will pick up points.
“Manchester United are still one of the best teams in the league.”
The irony was that yesterday they looked it – right up to the final touch.
It was encapsulated in the performance of Cristiano
Ronaldo, who has now just one goal in his last 10 matches in all competitions and looks in need of a break.
March will be difficult, too, with Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool and the second leg against Atletico Madrid to come.
United’s players and manager had held up a poster before kick-off with a peace symbol and ‘peace’ written in six languages – a gesture prompted by Rangnick and embraced by the players, which Watford players joined.
No outbreak of peace followed on the pitch, with United hammering their visitors throughout. Quite how they reached the break goalless is anybody’s guess. Ronaldo hit a post after two minutes, inadvertently blocked a goalbound effort from Bruno Fernandes, then chose to stay on his feet when clipped while trying to round Ben Foster just short of the half-hour mark.
Had he gone down a penalty would surely have been given.
He also had a goal chalked off on 15 minutes after straying offside before turning in Fernandes’ cross from the left.
Ronaldo’s Portugal teammate endured a similarly frustrating afternoon.
He had a shot blocked by Foster on 15 minutes when Ronaldo was wide open to his right, then got too much on a perfect ball from Paul Pogba and hit past the near post, when a glance would have beaten Foster.
New Old Trafford favourite Anthony Elanga might have capped a brilliant week following his Champions League equaliser in Madrid – with the winner on the hour mark here.
Darting in from the right, the winger had played the ball back and inside to Fred and continued on a rattling run into the box.
Fred’s pass into Pogba was backheeled into Elanga’s path – but he could not turn it in at pace.
United finished the match with five strikers on the pitch but the goal would not come.
Samir blocked a Fernandes shot late, Jadon Sancho fired over from 20 yards out – then Fernandes put another straight into the midriff of Foster.