Manchester United suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday, 13 October, in the Champions League. Goals from Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman helped the LaLiga giants secure three points.
Michael Carrick arrived at the game needing a response after the disappointing 1-1 draw against 10-man Tottenham Hotspur last weekend in the Premier League. The English manager made five changes to the team for the midweek European tie.
Senne Lammens continued in goal, while Diogo Dalot and Ayden Heaven replaced Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw at the back. Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martínez, meanwhile, retained their places in the starting XI.
In midfield, Carlos Baleba earned his full debut alongside Andrey Santos, with Youri Tielemans stationed in the No. 10 role. Marcus Rashford replaced Matheus Cunha in attack, alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes, who operated in an unorthodox right-forward role.
United suffer another defeat
Atlético Madrid shocked United right at the start of the game, scoring within the first minute through Pablo Barrios. The Spanish giants continued to dominate proceedings and had a few opportunities to double the score as well.
The Red Devils eventually found their footing in the game and also had chances to score themselves. Los Rojiblancos appeared to have doubled the lead through Johnny Cardoso in the 43rd minute, but it was ruled out by VAR for a handball in the build-up.
The Premier League giants went into the break trailing by a single goal. United pushed for an equaliser in the second half but went a man down in the 74th minute when Leny Yoro was shown a red card.
Atlético soon capitalised on their numerical advantage, with substitute Ademola Lookman doubling the score in the 79th minute. The LaLiga giants went on to secure a memorable victory and a clean sheet, with United struggling to pose too much of a problem. The Red Devils failed to impress once again this season, and Rashford’s performance will only add to supporters’ frustrations.
Rashford endures another frustrating night
Rashford was brought in to add more bite to United’s attack after a dismal performance against Tottenham Hotspur. However, the Englishman hardly did anything of repute against Atletico Madrid.
The 28-year-old was on the pitch for 66 minutes, during which he managed only 19 touches of the ball. Rashford attempted just 11 passes, completing 10 of them, and did not register any key passes.
The Englishman attempted one cross but it was inaccurate. The player won just one of his nine duels and lost possession six times in the game.
Rashford did not register any defensive contributions during his time on the pitch and was dribbled past once. The Englishman managed just one shot in the game, and it was off target.
The player attempted four dribbles, only one of which was successful, while he also missed one big chance, capping another woeful outing this season.
Marcus Rashford: Stats vs Atletico Madrid
| Stat | Marcus Rashford |
|---|---|
| Touches | 19 |
| Accurate passes | 10/11 (91%) |
| Key passes | 0 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 1 (0) |
| Long balls (accurate) | - |
| Duels (won) | 9 (1) |
| Ground duels (won) | 8 (1) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 1 (0) |
| Possession lost | 6 |
| Fouls | 3 |
| Was fouled | 1 |
| Offsides | - |
| Defensive actions | 0 |
| Clearances | 0 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Tackles (won) | - |
| Dribbled past | 1 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.31 |
| Shots off target | 1 |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 4 (1) |
| Notes | Big chances missed: 1 |
Source: Sofascore.
Final Thoughts
Rashford is yet to get going this campaign after his proposed permanent move to Barcelona broke down this summer. The Englishman’s performance on Tuesday would hardly please fans and will add to speculation over his future.
Featured image by Angel Martinez via Getty Images
