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Manchester United took the lead and yet again let it slip, this time to Chelsea in the Premier League with their game at Old Trafford ending 1-1.
The Red Devils had 11 shots and should have scored more but for Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes to fluff their lines when it mattered the most.
United have missed the most big chances this season and while chance conversion is something that incoming manager Ruben Amorim must work on, he also needs to instill a bit of composure and control in the middle of the pitch.
The hosts often looked to play direct and set their forwards on their way but that they lost possession frequently as a result with the midfield struggling to hold on to the ball.
Midfield control lacking
After an encouraging display against Leicester City in midweek, Manuel Ugarte struggled to deal with the pace of the English top-flight, losing too many duels and then forced into committing fouls.
The Uruguayan lost 10 ground duels out of 12 and all his aerial duels while also losing possession 11 times. He gave away six fouls and interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy was forced to sub him to avoid the player receiving a red card.
The former Sporting Lisbon star also struggled with his passing, finding a teammate with only 22 of his passes and ending the game with a passing accuracy of a mere 76 percent.
He did not manage a single shot and also failed to dribble past any opponents. Only one long ball found its mark. Defensively, he struggled to control Chelsea’s attackers, and got dribbled past twice.
The 23-year-old managed only one interception and one tackle while one of his errors directly led to a shot for the visitors (all stats via sofascore).
Ugarte struggled with and without the ball
Such were the lack of options at Van Nistelrooy’s disposal that centre-back Victor Lindelof was brought in to replace him.
Former manager Erik ten Hag had warned not too expect too much from the Uruguay international so soon into his United career but INEOS wanted the ex-boss to utilise him more.
While in Europe and in the Carabao Cup, Ugarte has not been exposed as much, his form in the league has been nothing to write home about.
Amorim, who has worked with the player in the past, needs to help the defensive midfielder re-find his groove.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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