Luke Shaw (Photo: Wikipedia)
‘Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes were all guilty of spurning good opportunities’
By Valentine Amanze
Manchester United defender, Luke Shaw, who handled the ball inside the 18 yard box that cost them all the three points to Brighton & Hove Albion, has blamed their attackers for the 1-0 loss.
He said that though he handled the ball inside the 18 yard box not deliberately in the 99th minute, if their attackers had converted their opportunities, Manchester United would have rapped the game in the first 45th minutes with at least three goals in the Premier League match played at the Amex Stadium on Thursday evening.
Shaw spoke to Sky Sports after the match: “I know the problem and we know the problem.
“The problem is that we don’t score.
“In the first half we had three or four big chances that we should be scoring [from] and I think that has happened a lot of times this season. But then again, when you look at the other side, it comes down to my mistake at the end.
“But I think with the chances that we had we have to be scoring goals and the game would have been completely different if we had taken the chances that we did make.
“I don’t know. Maybe we just aren’t clinical enough. I don’t really know what else to say.
“What I did was the total opposite and I cost us a point in the end. But when you look at the first half we could have been 3-0 up.”
On effect of the loss to the club’s top-four ambition, Shaw said, “I don’t think it changes anything; it is still in our hands.
“We have to kick ourselves from the position we are in because we were obviously very comfortable.
“But now there is a real chase as teams around us are picking up points. But we still have one game in hand and it is still in our hands.”
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Although United had been under the cosh in the latter stages of the contest, they had created a collection of good chances to punish Brighton at the other end, particularly in the first half. Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes were all guilty of spurning good opportunities.
Recall that the Argentine, Alexis Mac Allister, converted the 99th minute penalty, which differentiated the two teams, with Andre Marriner as the centre referee.
Brighton had earlier defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first stanzer of the Premier League last year.
Manchester United players have struggled to score goals throughout the season, highlighted by their current goal difference of just +9. Erik ten Hag’s side has scored just 49 goals in the Premier League this season – the lowest tally of any side currently camped inside the top seven. valoa2000@yahoo.com
