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Manchester United suffered a terrible defensive performance as they were crushed 3-0 by Liverpool on Sunday.
Although it was a friendly match, this defeat was equally bitter and poured cold water on the end of the US pre-season tour.
The final score didn’t tell the whole story, with United having 18 shots to Liverpool’s 8. The Liverpool goalkeeper also made eight saves, keeping out a number of solid United shots.
Unfortunately, United’s defence was the weak point and Aaron Wan-Bissaka proved to be one of their weakest players on the night.
After Fabio Carvalho’s 10th-minute opener, United fell further behind when Curtis Jones slid through to the back of the net. Wan-Bissaka was tasked with marking Jones but struggled to keep up, allowing the Liverpool midfielder to comfortably step up and steer the ball towards goal.
In the 61st minute, Wan-Bissaka was again at the centre of United’s defensive vulnerability. After Andre Onana’s dangerous shot was blocked superbly, the rebound went to Konstantinos Tsimikas, who was marked by Wan-Bissaka. Tsimikas was able to easily turn the ball into the back of the net, leaving United’s right-back dead.
Wan-Bissaka showed some physical ability, winning five of his eight ground duels. He also only dribbled past the opposition once throughout the game.
The full-back’s passing game was largely accurate, with 29 of his 37 passes finding the target for an accuracy of 78%. On the other hand, he missed his only long ball of the game and was successful with just one of his three crosses.
Of note, although Wan-Bissaka made two key passes, neither resulted in a decisive goal and United remained scoreless throughout the game.
The English defender had an average game when it comes to defensive action. He made two tackles, two interceptions and one clearance. Despite his considerable defensive involvement, Wan-Bissaka unfortunately made a mistake at a crucial moment, allowing Liverpool to score.
One of the main areas of concern was that Wan-Bissaka lost possession 12 times, which is all the more troubling considering he had just 57 touches throughout the game.
With Wan-Bissaka likely to leave for West Ham this summer, it seems his heart is already out of United’s hands. If he is destined to leave this summer, it may be wiser for United not to play him.
(Through statistics Sofa score)
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