Manchester United travelled to Bristol to take on an in-form Championship club Bristol City in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night. Jose Mourinho opted for an attacking 4-3-3 formation and welcomed back Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba into his starting eleven. The match began with both teams giving a good account of themselves. The Red Devils were unlucky not go into half-time with an advantage after hitting the woodwork twice in the first half.
Bristol City took the lead just six minutes into the second half after some clever interchange of passes which led to a wonder-strike by Joe Bryan. It took Manchester United just seven minutes to respond when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored with a low drive from a free-kick. However, Bristol City regained their lead through a Korey Smith strike with seconds to go in the game to seal a famous win over Manchester United and qualify for the semi-finals of the competition.
Let’s shed some light on how each Manchester United player fared on the night.
GK: Sergio Romero – 5/10
The keeper was shaky in goal for United. He hardly ever looked confident on the ball and made a few fumbles which could have cost his team a goal. However, he also made some crucial saves to deny Magnusson.
RB: Matteo Darmian – 5/10
He tried his best but failed to cope with the Bristol City attack. He was exposed more and more as the game progressed.
CB: Victor Lindelöf – 5/10
Not the best game from United’s summer signing. He was troubled and hurried by the Bristol City attackers all night and had a tough match.
CB: Marcos Rojo – 4/10
The Argentine failed to command his defence and looked unimpressive in the backline. He was at fault for both Bristol City goals.
LWB: Luke Shaw – 5/10
He was caught out of position a few times but did well to make a few runs going forward. However, his final delivery into the box was poor.
CDM: Daley Blind – 6/10
The Dutch defensive midfielder was arguably the best player for United and made a brilliant last-ditch challenge to deny Bristol City a chance on goal during the first half.
CM: Paul Pogba – 5/10
The French midfielder had a frustrating night for United. He made a good run in the first half before shooting off target. It will take some time before he returns to his best level.
CM: Scott McTominay – 5/10
He did the little things right and linked up play well in the midfield. Although, he was poor while shooting from distance and did little to contribute to the Red Devils’ attacks.
RW: Marcus Rashford – 6/10
He struck the woodwork with a brilliant effort in the first half but faded as the match went on.
LW: Anthony Martial – 6/10
He was the biggest goal-threat for the Manchester club and was unlucky not to score when his shot hit the post. The youngster made some good runs and put in some dangerous crosses into the box. However, he couldn’t get his name on the scoresheet on the night.
ST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6/10
He struggled all throughout the match but was United’s saviour when they needed him. The Swede got his name on the scoresheet from the free kick and equalised for the Red Devils. Unfortunately, he was subbed and couldn’t do anything about the Bristol City winner in stoppage time.
Substitutes:
ST: Romelu Lukaku – 7/10
The super substitute made a real impact after coming on and completely changed the game with his pace and power. His wonderful long-range effort and a dangerous header on target were both saved by the brilliant Bristol City keeper. The Belgian was unlucky not to score.
CAM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6/10
His first appearance after a long injury layoff and he showed glimpses of his brilliance after coming on.
