Ruben Amorim picked a strong side, yet Manchester United ended up losing their 18th Premier League game of the season on Friday as Chelsea emerged 1-0 winners at Stamford Bridge.
Marc Cucurella scored the winning goal in the second half, and the Red Devils had no response with Rasmus Hojlund once again looking dire up front.
The Dane neither won a single ground duel nor did he manage a shot or complete a dribble, yet he managed to stay on for the full 90 minutes simply because the head coach had no other option on the bench.
As for the Europa League final, the Dane looks odds-on to start in Bilbao as Joshua Zirkzee remains sidelined while Chido Obi is ineligible.
Harry Maguire showing better striker’s instinct than Rasmus
But ideally, the Denmark international should not be anywhere near the starting XI with centre-back Harry Maguire once again showing more attacking instinct than the United No 9.
The way he caught Bruno Fernandes’ driven cross on the volley in the first half showed how much confidence is coursing through his veins. The ball was smashed past Robert Sanchez but was ruled out for off-side by an inch.
During that phase of play, Hojlund was once again caught on his heels, not ready for his skipper’s delivery but not the England international.
He had 74 touches of the ball and created one chance while completing three passes into the final third (all stats via fotmob).
Harry Maguire was solid at the back as well
Defensively solid as well, the former skipper completed two clearances, made one interception while making eight recoveries as well.
He won all his ground duels and lost only a single aerial duel. With Matthijs de Ligt unlikely to be fit, the Englishman is expected to start in the heart of the defence.
Playing in a back three has certainly helped Maguire lift his game defensively while having him also means Amorim has an auxiliary striking option from set-pieces and if things go bad.
Hopefully, the United players can get their act together on May 21 against Tottenham Hotspur in the final. If not, the fans and the head coach will be praying for Maguire to rescue them, as he has done so many times this season.
Feature image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
