Youri Tielemans Remark a Reminder of Man Utd’s Ongoing Problem

Youri Tielemans says Manchester United didn’t create enough chances to win the Manchester derby against rivals City, which was decided by Erling Haaland’s controversial second-half winner.

United were handed a huge advantage by referee Michael Oliver when he sentPhil Foden off for lashing out at Bruno Fernandes, forcing the visitors to play a man down for three quarters of the contest. However, the hosts failed to capitalize, and were instead caught cold by the inevitable Haaland. Manchester City’s No. 9 scored his ninth goal in this fixture, meaning he’s now just two strikes away from matching Wayne Rooney’s record tally of 11 in Manchester derbies.

“I don’t think we created enough chances to win the game anyway,” Tielemans told NBC Sports. “I thought we were a bit sloppy on the ball and maybe didn’t make the right decisions on the final ball.”

Haaland’s goal ultimately shouldn’t have stood, with refereeing body Pro Ref acknowledging an "error of judgment" regarding Enzo Fernández’s role in the goal sequence.

United Fail to Seize Initiative

Michael Carrick — Man Utd struggle when they’re asked to be the protagonists. | Carl Recine/Getty Images

Tielemans was regarded as an astute coup from Aston Villa in the summer, especially in an inflated midfield market. Man Utd triggered the Belgian’s £35 million ($46.8 million) release clause, and he’s immediately become a staple of Michael Carrick‘s midfield, starting all five of United’s games this season.

The experienced Premier League star’s admission that it would have been a "different game" had Haaland’s strike correctly been ruled out is correct in theory, but City were seemingly emboldened by their own injustice, keeping their cross-city rivals at arm’s length after Foden’s dismissal.

The hosts created just one big chance, per FotMob, and tallied a measly 0.07 xGOT (expected goals on target) from the seventh minute onwards.

Once again, United toiled when they were asked to be the protagonists.

Familiar Issue Arises for Red Devils

Manchester City’s players celebrate Erling Haaland’s goal at Old Trafford. — It was derby day joy for Erling Haaland and Co. | Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images

Enzo Maresca said after his side’s gritty derby victory that Foden’s red card after 23 minutes didn’t just change the game for the Cityzens, but also for the hosts.

When Man Utd beat City 2–0 on Carrick’s Old Trafford return in January, they did so with just 32% possession. However, their man advantage completely changed the dynamic of the contest, as City retreated and grew more comfortable attacking space in transition.

Since the start of the start of last season, United have won all 10 games in which they’ve had 45% or less possession. They’ve won just seven of the 20 matches when they had at least 55% of the ball.

This is an issue that predates Carrick, with the Red Devils toiling for years against deep-lying defenses. They’ve long been a team that’s relished the ’underdog’ tag, ceding territory and playing on the counterattack.

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The absence of a focal point until Benjamin Šeško entered the fray hurt them yesterday, but United’s collective struggles when forced to assert control with the ball can’t merely be attributed to the absence of one man.

They’ve spent the past two summer windows rebuilding their midfield and attack, and while plenty of the forwards at Carrick’s disposal have previously thrived in transition-heavy systems, United are hardly shy of quality, and there was hope that Tielemans would share playmaking responsibilities with Bruno Fernandes.

That dynamic didn’t aid United on Sunday, as they succumbed to a familiar-looking defeat.

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