[ad_1]
13
Alejandro Garnacho produced a hopeful performance as Manchester United lost 7-6 on penalties following a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the FA Community Shield.
While Man City dominated possession early on, it was Man United who stepped things up as the match progressed, showing aggressive attacking intent.
All in all, Erik ten Hag’s side took eight shots compared to City’s nine, despite lacking possession for much of the game.
Despite enjoying several close chances following some dangerous counter-attacking football, United were unable to find the back of the net. That is, until, Garnacho entered the fold.
Coming on for Amad Diallo in the 59th minute, Garnacho’s impact up top was felt almost immediately. He had one shot on target and another shot blocked, the most of all of his teammates despite taking just 13 touches during his cameo.
With six of his seven passes reaching its target, the Argentine had 86% passing accuracy. He made one key pass and completed one of his two attempted crosses.
Garnacho created one big scoring chance, namely a pass to Marcus Rashford who was positioned just metres away from the goal. Unfortunately, Rashford’s attempt hit the upright, keeping the match goalless.
Although he only managed to win one of his three ground duels, the highlight of Garnacho’s performance came on the attack.
In the 82nd minute, he received a long ball from Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the box. Controlling the ball impeccably with his first touch, Garnacho weaved into the box and sent his shot into the bottom right corner, handing United the lead.
He proved to be the only United attacker with the firepower necessary to score on the day.
Running back in defence, Garnacho held his own as well, making one interception and completing a tackle.
Sadly, Garnacho’s goal wasn’t enough to secure the victory as City equalised to send the match to penalties.
Although Garnacho showed great composure to score a powerful penalty, this wasn’t enough to save United from a crushing 7-6 shootout loss.
Despite the bitter defeat, there were several bright spots in United’s performance. It just so happened that many of these revolved around Garnacho, who appears to be finding his form again and proving himself as a serious contender for a spot in United’s starting 11 this season.
(Stats via Sofascore)
Play for free to win the new United kit! We’ll award a new prize every PL matchweek, courtesy of Goat Kits! To play, just (1) Join the brand new weekly PL Challenge league here with our league code puu1tk and enter this week’s competition. (2) Follow The Peoples Person on X and answer the tie breaker question. Full instructions and rules here.
You can also visit Goat Kits at goatkitstore.com and use discount code TPP30 to get 30% off your first purchase!
[ad_2]
