Oliver Glasner has expressed his dissatisfaction with a referee decision following Manchester United’s 2-1 win vs Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United clawed back a vital 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
The afternoon got off to a nightmare start for the hosts, as Maxence Lacroix put the visitors ahead within five minutes of play. For much of the opening period, United produced a lacklustre and disjointed display that struggled to threaten the Palace backline.
However, the tide turned dramatically in the second half as Lacroix went from hero-to-zero. The defender was shown a straight red card for a foul on Matheus Cunha, conceding a penalty in the process for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up to coolly dispatch the spot-kick, shifting the momentum entirely. The United captain proved instrumental once more moments later, providing the assist for Benjamin Sesko to put United ahead.
The three points are crucial for Michael Carrick’s men, who leapfrog Aston Villa into third place as the Reds take a massive step towards securing Champions League football.
Glasner unhappy with Lacroix red card
Oliver Glasner was not in complete agreement with the decision to send Lacroix off. The centre-back was not initially shown a red card, but was given his marching orders following an intervention from VAR.
“The red card changed the game completely. I think it’s a very hard decision,” the Palace manager said.
He then added, rather sarcastically, “The foul starts outside the box. Matheus Cunha is very smart to wait until he is inside the box and fall down.”
The red card changed the momentum of the game. United struggled to create anything of significance before Palace went down to 10 men, although Glanser is wrong when he states Cunha bought the foul, since Lacroix made absolutely no attempt to play the ball.
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Where does Cunha fit in?
Cunha was signed to play as the left sided No. 10 in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, a role that suited him perfectly. In a back four though, it’s hard to see where he fits in.
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He likes to come into the left-half space and central areas, and therefore cannot provide the width United need on the left, especially as Luke Shaw doesn’t push forward very often either. In the second-half, Carrick used him in a wider role, but it takes away from a lot of his best qualities.
His decision making in the final third is also poor, often shooting when he should pass or taking too long to make a decision and then being dispossessed.
Cunha possesses immense quality, but when he isn’t scoring goals, he is a net-negative when playing on the left-wing. He can still be of value as squad-depth. He can play as the no.10 if Fernandes is ever absent and if United have an attacking left-back who holds the width, Cunha playing off the left is more feasible. He is also brilliant when playing as a false nine which can provide Carrick with tactical flexibility. He is also someone who can certainly make an impact off the bench, but that £62.5 million used to sign him could’ve probably been spent more wisely.
Cunha is a luxury player, and United’s starting XI is not yet so good that they cannot afford to spend large sums of cash on such players.
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