No game is too easy for Man Utd as Bruno saves Ten Hag's blushes
Nothing is straightforward for Manchester United at the moment. Not holding on to a three-goal lead against Coventry City, and not even beating a Sheffield United team heading back to the Championship.
Three days after their Wembley wobbles almost cost Erik ten Hag’s side a place in the FA Cup final, they were at it again. Twice they trailed to a team that started the night seven points adrift at the foot of the table, and twice they had to drag themselves back into this game.
Bruno Fernandes’ second goal of the night and Rasmus Hojlund first since February got them out of trouble but this was hardly stellar opposition. When Fernandes scored his first from the spot, the Blades broke Derby’s record of conceding 89 goals in a 38-game Premier League season.
No team is too bad for United right now. No challenge too easy for Ten Hag. The sight of Jason Wilcox, here at Old Trafford for the first time since being appointed technical director on Friday, talking tactics with Sir Dave Brailsford in the directors’ box didn’t augur well for the Dutchman.
The pieces are falling into place for Ineos and Ten Hag continues to give his employers plenty of reasons to decide he won’t be part of their plans.
For United – Manchester, that is – this was the ideal fixture to get over the trauma of tossing away a three-goal lead against Coventry at the weekend, then surviving a disallowed goal at the end of extra-time and a penalty shootout to reach another Cup Final against Manchester City next month.
There was still no end in sight to their injury problems as Marcus Rashford became the latest player to drop out and Scott McTominay was only fit enough to sit on a bench stacked with teenagers.
Eriksen replaced McTominay in midfield, making only his
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