The most awaited match of the year for United fans has come to an end and it has ended in a bad way for the club.
Villarreal has won the Uefa Europa League prize in their 98-year history by beating Manchester United in a spectacular way.
The final score was a 1-1 draw even after extra time as both teams failed to score the winner. Ultimately the fate of the game was decided by the penalty shoot-out. United lost by 12-11 score as Villarreal were the ultimate winners.
No matter the competition.
No matter the result.We win, lose and draw together. United.#MUFC | #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/ZvRJ3CzEJc
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 26, 2021
David de Gea missed the penalty after the two goalkeepers were the last shooters with the scores level following 120 minutes. Protecting set-pieces have been the weak part for United this season and this was abused by the Yellow Submarines once again.
Gerard Moreno outmuscled Lindelof to meet a great free-kick and slide the ball into the net. The Red Devils kept on winning the ball however neglected to make clear possibilities before half-time. They came out a lot more grounded after the break and scored the leveler inside 10 minutes through Edinson Cavani.
The veteran striker was quick to respond to Marcus Rashford’s strike which fell into his way in the wake of being redirected off Scott McTominay. Not long after the equalizer, Rashford had an incredible chance to give his group the lead, yet he misjudged the line.
Luckily for him, the linesman had effectively raised the banner for offside.
It took until the 100th moment for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to roll out his first substitution of the seat. His players looked depleted at this point he decided to stay with his beginning XI for a significant part of the game.
Conversely, Unai Emery was a lot more brilliant with his replacements. He made changes at regular spans to guarantee that his side remained new and fresh. Villarreal offered minimal attacking chances going ahead and was not much superior then United in their attack.
The two groups looked glad to go to penalties as none of the players showed the craving to score a goal during additional time. Each of the 20 outfield players scored from the spot as both the goalkeepers neglected to make a solid save.
Pressure mounted as the unexpected penalties finally boiled down to the two goalkeepers. Geronimo Rulli pounded the ball into the net to put the onus on David De Gea.
De Gea hit the ball rather softly that was handily saved by the Argentine goalkeeper to send Villarreal fans and players into ultimate joy.
𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕒 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘!#UELfinal #ItsOurTime pic.twitter.com/vtBabNaQSp
— Villarreal CF English (@Eng_Villarreal) May 27, 2021
The King is always the King:
Manchester United was not productive in their attack and Villarreal was very tight on their defense and it can be said that Emery has a lot to do in these tactics.
4 – Unai Emery has become the first manager to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League four times (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 & 2020-21) surpassing Giovanni Trapattoni. Masterclass. #UELfinal
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 26, 2021
Unai Emery has now won four UEFA Cup/Europa League prizes – more than any other coach – and you can’t scrutinize his record in this contest.
They rode their karma on occasion against Arsenal, and likewise in Gdansk against Manchester United, yet what an approach to respond to your haters after his troublesome spell in English football.
This presentation was the meaning of leaving everything on the pitch and when you score each of the 11 penalties, at that point you deservedly take the prize.
Questions will be thrown at Solksjaer:
After their loss, United have now gone four seasons without a trophy and questions will be asked to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Having at long last broken his semi-final hoodoo (four losses) and getting to the final, the Old Trafford club missed the mark again and this undesirable record ought to bring more questions for him.
💬 The boss reflects on a disappointing night in Gdansk.#MUFC | #UELfinal
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 27, 2021
Indeed, they did attack more and created chances but failed to get the end product. And the main question will be that why did Solksajer didn’t substitute players early? Why not bet with Amad Diallo or Donny van de Beek?
Solskjaer is not much experienced in this and he will have a lot to learn, yet he has to prove that he has been improving, or else it’s the same old story.
Set-piece difficulties:
Once again United have surrendered the first goal and it went through a set-piece again. United have been giving away set-piece goals so easily as defenders are not so strong in marking players.
That is currently the fifteenth goal they have surrendered from set-pieces this season across all rivalries and that isn’t down to the shortfall of Harry Maguire.
It’s an unmistakable the weakest point for this side that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has neglected to address and it set them back.
In any case, it’s an issue that should be settled before the next season and if needed they have to bring more defenders that are solid in man-marking.
What’s Next:
A new season awaits for both the teams as they will hope to improve their squad in the summer transfer window.
