Two Points Dropped
We played alright. Not amazing, but not bad either. Roy Keane said it felt more like a friendly than a derby, and Gary Neville joked they’d all go for a roast dinner together. Ex-pundit stuff aside, I genuinely think we could’ve won this one.
Garnacho missed a sitter—no other way to put it. Maybe he thought Casemiro was going to head it, maybe he just switched off for a sec, but at this level, you finish that. No excuses. And the thing is, we had the better chances overall.
Back Line Solid
Despite De Ligt missing, our backline held it down. Yoro and Maguire were solid, Mazraoui especially stood out, and even Dalot at LWB had a good game. Dorgu… alright. Felt like his right foot doesn’t exist. Had a chance fall on it and just didn’t take the shot. Confidence issue maybe, or just not that guy yet.
Bruno Being Bruno
Captain chaos in the best way. Covered every blade of grass, pulled the strings, led the team like always. Not hyping anyone up for the sake of it, but for me, he was joint man of the match with Mazraoui. If we had five more Brunos in the squad, we’d be top 5 in the league. Maybe it’s not just about Bruno though—feels like the squad just lacks experience at times.
Speaking of Experience: Casemiro
Casemiro is useful when we’re sitting back. He acts as that deep-lying midfielder, sprays some nice long balls, and sniffs out danger decently. But in high-intensity games—Brighton types—where there’s pressing and fast transitions, he looks a bit off the pace. Still not sure if he’s a long-term fit for how we want to play.
Forward Mystery
Bruno had a good game but he can’t do it alone. We talk about needing a striker, and yes, we do. But honestly, I think we need another creative midfielder just as badly. We’re not creating enough. Højlund’s too isolated, disappears in games, and today was no different.
Thursday Is the Main Game
Let’s be real Premier League’s a write-off at this point. All focus is on the Europa League. That’s our only shot at UCL now, and weirdly, I feel confident. Maybe I shouldn’t. But Thursday vs Lyon is the only game that matters now.
Kinda hyped to see how Cherki does—just not against us. Not wishing him luck or anything, but I’ll be watching.
I want a strong 2-goal win to take into the return leg. Let’s wrap it early and play good football in Lyon.
Excited for that one.
See you in the next one.
UNITED SCRIPTED. 
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