premium ticket events UK site icon
Football

Manchester United’s woeful penalty record highlighted following Middlesbrough defeat

Manchester United’s woeful penalty record has been laid bare following yet another defeat on penalties.

The Red Devils lost in the Europa League final courtesy of an 11-10 scoreline in a penalty shoot-out after Villareal had held them to a draw in normal and extra time. Eight months later, they again exited a competition on penalties, this time in front of a home crowd at the hands of Championship outfit Middlesbrough.

Anthony Elanga missed the decisive penalty, and the only one of the shoot out, after 15 consecutive spot-kicks found the target in a stellar demonstration of penalty taking, something that was missing in the 90 minutes as Cristiano Ronaldo sent his first-half spot-kick wide of the post.

It was the goalkeepers, not the takers, that took the spotlight, however.

Goalkeepers need work

Now, an altogether concerning stat surrounding the Red Devils and their shot-stoppers has come to light, as it has emerged that they have managed to stop just one of the last 33 penalties they have faced in shoot-outs.

In short, this puts increased pressure on the takers, especially if the record is laid bare within the changing room. While some sides can rely on their goalkeepers to save a penalty in the odd shoot out, and some (e.g. Kepa Arrizabalaga) can win them shootouts, that isn’t the case in Manchester.

Having saved just one of 33, United’s players know more than ever that one miss can prove costly, as David De Gea and Elanga have proven in the past two shootouts.

Read more:

Manchester United boss Rangnick confirms Bruno Fernandes issue

Man United fans send collective Cristiano Ronaldo message after FA Cup exit

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.