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Atalanta vs Manchester United: Match Report

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Manchester United drew against Atalanta by a 2-2 scoreline at their home ground. The win ensures that United is still placed at the top of their group. It was not an easy match for United as they had to score a very late goal to escape defeat.

Man United hit their first shot on target quite early in the first half. Ronaldo hit a powerful shot which was expertly saved by the Atalanta goalkeeper. Scott McTominay then had his shot deflected which wrong-footed the goalkeeper and the ball hit the post.

David de Gea’s howler gifted Atalanta the first goal of the night. Josip Ilicic fired a shot straight at De Gea and the ball went under the goalkeeper’s legs. It could have been saved but Atalanta had great luck over there.

Manchester United had numerous chances to score the leveller with Luke Shaw’s volley flying over the bar and Ronaldo’s header was wide of the post.

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Paul Pogba’s error gifted Atalanta a huge chance to score their second goal. But Eric Bailly made a vital block at the end to prevent the Italians from scoring another goal.

Raphael Varane suffered an injury in the first half and it was not a good sign for Man United. Mason Greenwood was called on as he played out the remainder of the match.

Man United continued to play poorly and it seemed that United would go into a first half with a goal down. But Cristiano Ronaldo came to their rescue again. Bruno Fernandes played out a great pass through an artistic back heal to Ronaldo and the striker did the rest.

Man United then entered into the second half of the game with great energy as they started attacking fearlessly from the very first minute. Mason Greenwood’s shot again hit the post and Bruno Fernandes’s shot was well blocked as United searched for the winner.

But Atalanta struck again and the goal came through Duvan Zapata. Harry Maguire failed to track down Zapata as he thought he is offside and the Columbian striker then slotted the ball calmly past David de Gea. A lengthy VAR check then confirmed that Zapata was onside and it made matters worse for United.

As the match entered into the final five minutes, it was looking like United are staring down another defeat. But once again, there was one man who came to the rescue.

It was none other than Cristiano Ronaldo who struck a superb half-volley from the edge of the box and the ball traveled to the bottom corner. Donny Van de Beek received the plaudits for providing the assist.

Here are the three things that we observed from the match:

False Spurs result:

Manchester United’s fantastic performance against Tottenham was an indication that the team has returned to its best form. But United’s performance against Atalanta was not a good sign for the club.

Players like Paul Pogba and Harry Maguire were playing like amateurs. As every second of the game ticked on, it was looking like Spur’s result was a false one.

Tottenham has appointed Antonio Conte and their game is certainly going to be lifted to the next level. But for Man United will they ever play consistently?

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Varane injury blow:

Raphael Varane was forced off early and couldn’t make it to the second half due to his hamstring issue. The French center-back played a key role in United’s triumph over Tottenham.

His presence boosted Maguire and Bailly’s confidence against Spurs. Solskjaer will face a huge dilemma in the absence of their star player and will need to pick someone reliable to fit in his role.

With Victor Lindelof suffering a minor injury in training, the fans will be praying for a return of Varane in the next game against Manchester City.

Eric Bailly performing at his best level:

The Ivorian Coast center-back was rock solid against the Italian outfit. Seven duels, four interceptions, and two blocks, all of which were successfully won.

He was our second-best player of the night after Cristiano Ronaldo and the fans will be super proud of his performance. He has got limited minutes to play but has made full use of the chance that was provided to him by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Manager’s words after the match:

Solskjaer said:

“It was a tight game, flowed both ways, their two goals were very tight and we thought the first was offside, I thought he interfered with David de Gea’s view, but Cristiano [Ronaldo] is just incredible if there is anyone you want a chance to fall to and a difficult chance, it is just incredible.”

“That is football, no one can question the character of these players because they don’t ever give up and give in, they just keep going. We had to make changes and they worked. The goal was a proper team goal, great quality on the passing, four or five or six passes before that little exchange as well.”

What’s next:

Manchester United faces their arch-rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday. The game will be one of their toughest challenges of this season.

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