Manchester United succumbed to yet another Premier League defeat on Friday, their 18th of the season, with Chelsea emerging 1-0 winners at Stamford Bridge.
Ruben Amorim picked almost his full-strength side for the game, but it did not pay off, with Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana disappointing big time yet again.
The Dane managed 0 shots, 0 dribbles, and won 0 ground duels, yet the head coach kept him on for the whole game. And with Joshua Zirkzee still sidelined and Chido Obi ineligible, he looks odds-on to start in the Europa League final.
As for the goalkeeper, while he could not be faulted for the goal conceded, he was almost responsible for two horror moments on the night.
Andre Onana disappointed to lose
His penchant for parrying balls into the danger area almost handed Enzo Fernandez the chance to score in the first half only for the off-side flag to be raised to save his blushes.
In the second-half, he almost cost his team a penalty by needlessly charging out to smother the ball at Tyrique George’s feet. The referee initially pointed to the spot but overturned it in the end.
After the game, the Cameroonian expressed his disappointment for losing the game as well as the disastrous domestic season the club has endured.
“We came here to win and unfortunately we didn’t make it. We have to stay together no matter what. I think we had great control, possession, some chances – but we didn’t score. That was the big difference. That’s football sometimes. Sometimes it goes in, it goes out. It wasn’t our day.”
Andre Onana vows to win the Europa League final
“You face good moments, you face bad moments. We’re in a bad moment, we’re not playing our best football, we’re not winning games. We move on. If we continue working and we are working every day, we’ll turn this situation, If it’s not tomorrow, it’s after tomorrow.”
The Europa League final on May 21 is what the club and fans are looking forward to and Onana echoed similar sentiments. He promised to give his all to give fans something to cheer about after what has been a season to forget.
“It’s most important to give the fans that cup and trophy. It’s very important for the club and the players. So far the fans have been the best. It’s not the season we all want, we are used to playing better than what we’re showing. We know the importance of this game. We will give everything.”
The problem is fans are worried about Onana’s own form. Ideally, Amorim should not have to start such a error-prone player in the club’s biggest game of the season. But unfortunately, he seems to have no other choice.
Feature image Richard Pelham 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
