Advantage United
Mkhitaryan puts Reds in driving seat – but late equaliser leaves Mourinho furious over forwards’ failure to kill off tie
It is a long, arduous journey when you set out to win the Europa League and 11 games and seven months in, Jose Mourinho’s team have one foot in the semi-finals as their manager wonders aloud when this side will develop the killer instinct that will make his life easier.
A draw away at the leaders of the Belgian top-flight, who hung in there to snatch an 87th-minute equaliser, is no bad result given that the deal should be closed at Old Trafford in a week’s time. But it only served to emphasise the mood that for all their might and personnel, United are a pretty underwhelming proposition at times like these, the masters of the draw – this was the 10th 1-1 of the season.
Mourinho himself seems a little bored by it all and when he delivered himself for the post-match analysis, it was his attacking players whom he decided to point the finger at this time for not finishing off the game when they were a goal to the good.
“If I was a Man United defender I would be very upset with the attacking players because they had to kill the game and they didn’t,” he said.
In the wider context of his regular game of blame it felt a little sour although relative to what he had just witnessed he did have a point.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who scored his team’s only goal, should have added a second 10 minutes after half-time and Paul Pogba had another good attempt saved, although Mourinho absolved him of blame. United could yet win two trophies this season although they often demonstrate all the ruthlessness of a hitman with ethical obligations.
They are four wins from securing the trophy that Mourinho first delivered at Porto almost 14 years ago, the launching of his career in earnest, and while he may consider himself now above such trifles it does provide a good Champions League qualification alternative to the top four race. Anderlecht never gave up in front of their spirited home support in this nice little stadium, but they are nowhere near to the quality that United will face on Sunday when Chelsea come to Old Trafford requiring five wins to seal the title.
United might well be capable of stopping Antonio Conte’s attack but will they be able to demonstrate the kind of match-winning spirit that has eluded them for much of the season?
United are the biggest fish left in this competition and having committed such resources to it, they will feel now that they can go all the way to the final in Stockholm on May 24. Even so, this was not the red-hot performance one might expect from one of Europe’s leading teams but then United are a long way from being considered one of them. It was for the most part focused and disciplined but they lack the big club swagger that blows away opponents like Anderlecht.
Mourinho had Michael Carrick back in midfield, and the Englishman controlled the game as he can although there was no great pace to United’s attacks, rather they simply moved Anderlecht progressively backwards over the course of the first half. Of United’s attacking players, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was shrewd and careful in possession but it was Marcus Rashford who was the most dangerous.
Anderlecht were captained by another 19-year-old, Youri Tielemans, a full 16 years younger than Carrick, his opposite number on the night. The Belgian midfielder is yet another prospect from the plentiful supply line this country has established in recent years.
Anderlecht have two very strong central defenders in Serigne Mbodji and Bram Nuytinck, the former of the pair one could imagine adapting quite nicely to the demands of the English game. United’s attack were often frustrated by these two although Rashford’s sweet touch on 17 minutes to stun a ball on the left allowed him to whip in a rightfooted shot that Ibrahimovic connected with.
The goalkeeper Rubén Martínez stopped that effort and Jesse Lingard, playing in a deeper role, could only put his shot against the post.
Rashford plucked another throughball out of the air with his toe nine minutes later and Mbodji was there to sweep it away again.
United can be ponderous on the ball, no matter how much they have of it although eventually they created the space for the goal, when Ibrahimovic saw the chance to play in Antonio Valencia down the right and his cross was cut back into the stride of Rashford.
The 19-year-old hit a good first time shot that Rubén saved to his right but could not push far enough away from Mkhitaryan who had elected to make a smart run in on goal and guided the ball in from a tight angle.
Otherwise, the Armenian only flickered in the game, a booking for a bad tackle on Tielemans, an outrageous nutmeg in midfield, and he was substituted before the end.
Before then he missed from a Matteo Darmian cross during a good start to the second half by Anderlecht. Mourinho blamed his team for leaving to much space on the counterattack and even with Maroune Fellaini on as a substitute they finally conceded. Ivan Obradovic crossed from the left and Leander Dendoncker connected with a magnificent header to equalise.
Mourinho was right that United should have been out of sight by then, but he might also ask himself why his team are so laborious in attack. They have so many options in terms of pace, experience and the eagerness of youth and yet they never threatened to overwhelm a team of such relatively modest quality as Anderlecht.
At Old Trafford they should be too strong for the Belgians although with this side it is hard to take too much for granted and the more times they let an opponent off the hook, the more likely that they will one day pay a greater price for it.