Paul Scholes has reacted to Manchester United’s incredible 2-0 win over Manchester City following his criticism of Lisandro Martínez before the game.
Manchester United delivered a commanding display to defeat Manchester City 2–0 at Old Trafford in their Premier League showdown.
United dominated proceedings from start to finish, with Michael Carrick’s men showing defensive solidity and constant attacking threat.
Although the Reds scored five times during the match, three goals were chalked off for narrow offside calls. Nevertheless, goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu secured a crucial and thoroughly deserved victory for Manchester United.
Lisandro Martínez was one of the standout performers for United throughout as he kept Erling Haaland quiet until he was substituted after 80 minutes.
Scholes reacts after United win vs City
Before this game, ex-United midfielders Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes mocked the prospect of Martínez facing Haaland in the derby and suggested that the Argentine would be bullied by the City striker.
The comments were uploaded to their podcast’s social media channels and many United fans were disappointed by the fact that the United duo were not backing the players before such a big game.
Now, supporters are eagerly waiting for their next podcast and it will be interesting to see whether either of them admit that they were wrong.
Scholes has already reacted to the game on social media, with the club legend simply reposting United’s full-time post on his Instagram story. He is clearly waiting for the podcast to express his thoughts.
Martínez vs Haaland was no surprise
Martínez’s performance against Haaland was not really a surprise either, which made Butt and Scholes’ comments before the game even more strange.
He was the player who assisted the match-winner at the Etihad Stadium last year, while he kept the Norwegian quiet in the 2024 FA Cup final too.
The defender has already expressed his opinions on criticism from ex-players. “I believe that every footballer has to be very well prepared mentally because comments from important people/pundits can bring you down, you know?” he said during a recent podcast appearance.
“I am very focused, very grounded in my values, my roots, what I give… I don’t need to prove anything. Obviously, if it’s constructive criticism, I think criticism always has to exist because otherwise there’s no improvement.
“So, obviously there are situations where people are disparaging, and you have to take it with a pinch of salt, depending on who it comes from and how it’s said, right?”
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