A wayward penalty by their star player, seven big chances squandered and another defeat on spot-kicks – last Friday was simply another evening to forget for Manchester United this season.
The Red Devils’ biggest prospect of a trophy this season went down the drain after being knocked out of the FA Cup fourth round on penalties, at home to Championship side Middlesbrough.
For interim boss Ralf Rangnick, it left plenty to ponder after the winter break. Yet the contest only added to a list of damning statistics which illustrate United’s tough 2021-22 campaign – and Sportsmail now delves into the detail.
Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup after a shoot-out defeat to Middlesbrough
Anthony Elanga missed a shoot-out penalty while Cristiano Ronaldo missed in normal time
BIG TROPHY DROUGHT BECKONS…
With Friday’s FA Cup elimination comes another trophy opportunity squandered.
Fighting for a top-four place at best in the Premier League, United’s last chance to win a trophy comes in the Champions League, where they have a last-16 tie against LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid.
A triumph in Europe’s premier competition would seem unlikely and – if it does not miraculously come off – the club would be in the midst of their worst trophy drought since the club was last relegated, 48 years ago.
They were relegated from the old first division in the 1973-74 season, before being immediately promoted again.
No trophy this season would represent five years without silverware, with their last triumph coming in 2017 under Jose Mourinho when they won the Europa League.
Ralf Rangnick’s side blew a big chance at winning a trophy for the first time in five years
United’s last trophy came in 2017, when a team led by Jose Mourinho won the Europa League
A RECORD TO FORGET FROM THE SPOT
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Despite scoring their first seven spot-kicks on Friday night, Anthony Elanga’s blazing effort over the bear continued United’s dreadful shoot-out record.
With last season’s Europa League final defeat against Villarreal fresh in the memory, United have now won just one of their last eight shoot-outs.
Furthermore, United have never won a shoot-out in the FA Cup, losing all four spot-kick showdowns in the competition.
Teenager Elanga skied his penalty over the bar, consigning United to another shoot-out defeat
United have now won just one of their last eight shoot-outs, keeping up their miserable run
RONALDO OUT OF FORM
Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the players who scored in the shoot-out. If only he managed that in normal time.
The Portuguese superstar amazingly skewed his first-half penalty wide of the post; the biggest opportunity squandered by United in normal time.
And now he needs to score against Burnley tomorrow to avoid his longest goalscoring drought in over a decade.
Ronaldo, who turned 37 on Saturday, hasn’t scored in his last four United matches and did not find the back of the net in January, with his last goal coming on December 30 against Burnley.
The last time Ronaldo went five club games without a goal was back in 2010 at Real Madrid. He failed to score on the final day of his first season against Malaga and started the following campaign without netting against Mallorca, Osasuna, Sociedad and Ajax.
Ronaldo missed a penalty during the first-half which came back to haunt Man United
The 37-year-old now hasn’t scored in his last four United matches, an unusually long drought
Taking international football into account, his last dry spell of that length came in 2018; the final two matches of the World Cup for Portugal and first three of the following campaign for Juventus.
Ronaldo will want to put all that right at Turf Moor tomorrow night.
ROCK BOTTOM AT CORNERS
How’s this for a bizarre stat. Despite numerous big aerial presences, United have not scored one goal from a corner kick this season – out of 129.
In fact, they are the only Premier League side yet to score a goal from a corner.
They have also scored the fewest goals from set-pieces – excluding penalties – in the Premier League this season, with just one.
United have not scored one goal from a corner kick this season – out of 129 opportunities
STRUGGLES AT HOME
United have failed to score in four of their 11 home Premier League games this season.
That is already worse than their record last season after all 19 matches, when they only failed to score in three games.
Most recently, Wolves came to Old Trafford and kept a clean-sheet – while Marcus Rashford’s last-minute winner a few weeks back stopped that number being five.
Also, overall, United have averaged just 1.45 expected goals per game in the Premier League, a figure six teams can better, including each of the rest of the ‘big six’.
United have failed to score in four of their 11 home Premier League games this season
BIG DEFEATS TOO…
United have also looked susceptible and vulnerable at the back too, with the floodgates opening on occasions.
The Red Devils have conceded four or more goals in three Premier League games this season, their highest such total in the league since 1978-79.
A 4-2 defeat at Leicester was followed by the 5-0 humiliation against Liverpool, and the 4-1 loss at Watford spelled the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils have conceded four or more goals in three Premier League games this season
THE DEFEATS KEEP COMING…
United have lost six of their 22 Premier League games so far this season, a record which was only worse since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013-14.
Then, under David Moyes, United had lost seven games at this stage of the season and ended up finishing seventh.
They also lost six in the 2019-20 season under Solskjaer. Defeats this season have come against Aston Villa, Leicester, Liverpool, Man City, Watford and Wolves.
United have lost six of their 22 Premier League games this season, most recently vs Wolves
A POSITIVE? THEIR NO 1 KEEPER
A shining light in a tricky season, David De Gea was named Premier League Player of the Month for January after a terrific month.
In fact, no goalkeeper made more saves throughout the course of the month in Europe’s big five leagues.
One suspects that, if he was in goal on Friday instead of Dean Henderson, United might have got out of jail.
Despite United’s tough season, keeper David De Gea has been outstanding for the most part