A Reflex Action and a Point a Piece at Old Trafford
Coming off a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat in the hands of Chelsea in the semi-final of the FA Cup which got them eliminated from the competition, a driven and fierce response was expected from Manchester United in their next premier league game against West Ham.
That, however was not the case, as Manchester United, registered a slow start to the game and just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, French midfielder Paul Pogba gave away a penalty after raising his arms in an instinctive action to stop a fired up Declan Rice free kick which was heading his way.
The incident which at first sight looked like the ball had hit him in the face, was reviewed by VAR and a penalty got awarded to West Ham for a handball offense. Already in the extra time of the first half (45+1) West Ham’s Mikhail Antonio made no mistake converting from the penalty spot, giving the hammers the lead at half time.
Completely pissed by the situation, Sky Sports pundit and former United player, Gary Neville bashed Pogba for the mistake during co-commentary saying: “It’s rubbish from him… You don’t do that. You take it in your grid.”
United leveled things up after the break as the remorseful Frenchman bent on making up for his mistake, set striker Mason Greenwood up for an equalizer. A below par performance saw a frustrated Man United settle for a point which proved pivotal in moving them from 5th to 3rd on the log with 63 points.
The red half of Manchester will take on 5th placed Leicester City (with 62 points) on the last day of the campaign in an intense battle for top four finish and a place in the Champions league.
Leicester needs a win -all three points, to finish in the top 4, and while a draw will do it for Ole Gunner’s men, it will not hurt for United to register a final day victory now, will it? Do you think the Red Devils will bottle it up or rise to the occasion?
Do you think its wise for Manchester united fans blasting Pogba for causing a free-kick that led to their loss?
