0 key passes, 0 successful crosses, 0 shots on target: Diogo Dalot was a disaster in Man United’s 4-4 draw to Aston Villa

Manchester United were held to a 4-4 draw by Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, 8 November, in the Premier League. Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Youri Tielemans, Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu brought Michael Carrick’s team back from two goals down twice in the game to secure a point.

The Red Devils arrived at the game buoyed by their 3-2 win over AS Roma in the Champions League in midweek. While the win eased the pressure on Michael Carrick, his position at Old Trafford remained under scrutiny.

Eager to pick up three points against Villa, the English manager made two changes to the team that got the better of Roma. Youri Tielemans, who had replaced Carlos Baleba in the second half in midweek and had played an important role in the win, was selected from the start against his former team.

Meanwhile, Carrick opted to play Noussair Mazraoui in defence in place of Ayden Heaven. That prompted a shift at the back, with Leny Yoro, who had impressed at right-back in the last few games, moving to the right centre-back position, with Harry Maguire alongside him.

Having operated in the left-back position against Roma, Diogo Dalot returned to his natural right-back role, with Mazraoui moving to left-back. What unfolded next was intense drama.

United suffer another humiliating defeat

Villa were out of the blocks very quickly on Sunday and scored through Alysson in the first minute. Things went from bad to worse three minutes later, when Nicolas Jackson found the back of the net to make it 2-0 for the visitors.

It appeared that United were left with another impossible task after their midweek fiasco, and Matheus Cunha certainly sparked a sense of déjà vu after winning a penalty. Bruno Fernandes dispatched it without a problem in the 16th minute, and suddenly, the Red Devils were back in the game.

For the rest of the half, Villa withstood a United onslaught but stayed firm. Their resolve, however, was broken by Tielemans, who drew the Red Devils level in the 44th minute.

Unfortunately, Villa went immediately ahead in the second half through John McGinn’s penalty before Leon Goretzka scored to take his team 4-2 up. Carrick brought on Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu in the second half, and both scored to make it 4-4.

The result saw United drop down to 18th in the league table after 10 games. While fingers will be pointed at the English manager, Dalot’s disappointing performance will not earn him any admirers either.

Another disastrous outing from Dalot

Dalot was reinstated in his preferred right-back position against Villa, but did little to justify his inclusion in the game. The Portuguese registered 47 touches of the ball, and 24 of his 29 passes found a teammate, handing him an 83% passing accuracy.

The 27-year-old neither made a key pass nor created a big chance in the game. He did attempt one cross and one long ball, but neither of them was successful.

Dalot was involved in eight duels, but only won four of them. He registered two clearances, one interception, and one blocked shot, and conceded a penalty early in the second half that perhaps turned the game for Villa.

The Portuguese registered one shot, which was off target, and attempted three dribbles, only one of which was successful. He was eventually replaced in the 66th minute by Patrick Dorgu.

Dalot’s poor performance further highlighted the need to invest in a new left-back in the January transfer window. All signs indicate that he is unlikely to usurp Yoro from the right-back role in the coming weeks.

Featured image by Carl Recine via Getty Images