Roy Keane has gone to town on one Manchester United player’s defending during their 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United, in a result that means they drop to 14th in the Premier League table.
Newcastle United have now done the double over Manchester United, and Harvey Barnes was at the double for the home side on a dark day for Ruben Amorim’s Reds. United went in at half time 1-1 after Alejandro Garnacho’s goal but could not live with the Magpies in the second half.
Newcastle took the lead thanks to Barnes’ first goal, and the away team’s collective defence during the build-up to the goal was incredibly poor, as it was throughout the entire game.
Roy Keane was speaking after the game and singled one player out for criticism due to their involvement in the goal from a defensive perspective. Keane was unhappy with the player’s application when defending Barnes’s cross and movement and expressed disbelief at the player’s actions during the studio analysis.
It will be a disappointing moment for United’s full-back, who had an impressive game up to that moment and recovered well after.
Roy Keane unhappy with Dalot’s defending
Roy Keane was unhappy with Diogo Dalot’s defending for Newcastle United’s second goal, with the former midfielder feeling the full-back could have done a lot more to prevent it.
Dalot allowed Barnes to skip past him to cross the ball into the box before getting on the end of Jacob Murphy’s cross unmarked in the box. Keane was left with more questions than answers regarding Dalot’s decision not to engage the winger before the cross came into the box.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, Keane had the following to say:
“You’ve got your right back; you’ve got your experienced right back; it just runs by him. He doesn’t even grab him; he doesn’t try and tackle him, just gets up, and then, look, he’s got him there; he’s got him where he wants him. It’s nothing; he doesn’t step out of the way. It’s the only thing that helps him; it helps him… I can’t believe it!”
Dalot performed admirably in the first half, both defensively and offensively, leading to United’s first goal through direct play, but Newcastle’s second goal will be a memorable moment for the Portuguese full-back for all the wrong reasons.
The defender has been growing in stature after a difficult couple of months, but those lapses are currently the difference between United staying 14th and moving into the top half. Should similar mistakes occur on Thursday, it could result in their exit from the Europa League.
Mistakes need to stop
United cannot afford to keep making errors leading to goals. The last six goals they have conceded have all resulted from direct errors made by their players, making it nearly impossible to defeat teams that are already difficult to beat.
Andre Onana was heavily lambasted for Thursday’s blunders, but four more today mean United have been torn apart by a Newcastle team that did not need to get out of third gear.
Read More: “We’re not stupid…” Bruno Fernandes hits back after Roy Keane claims Man Utd ‘don’t run enough’ under Rúben Amorim
The decision-making is killing the team. Amorim’s system is beginning to show signs of what it could be, but mistake after mistake has consistently let it down. Altay Bayindir’s error for the fourth will be heartbreaking for him, but he isn’t the first and will not be the last to cost his team a goal unless the mentality changes.
Season-wise, this is as bad as it gets for a fan of the side from Old Trafford, and a repeat of these errors on Thursday will mean a certain exit from the only competition and hope they have left.
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