Set Up
Manchester United U23 took on Everton last time out trying to continue their winning streak. They fell short of that though in a difficult 3-1 match. The squad clearly suffered from not having Hannibal out on the field. Hannibal was injured in the Arsenal game and his absence was apparent in this match. United dominated possession, but could not score. Everton’s stout defense proved critical and the Reds could not get past it.
First Half
United was dominating the possession in the game, but couldn’t get the ball into the net. It was Everton that drew first blood. Nathan Broadhead started the scoring, making it 1-0 Everton. It was the first of many for Broadhead. However, neither team was able to score until the very end of the first half. Charlie McCann was able to summon an absolute thunderbolt of a shot to equalize. The Everton keeper certainly should have saved it but it was nonetheless an incredible strike. The half ended all level at 1-1.
Second Half
Unfortunately, McCann’s wonder strike before halftime was not enough to propel United to victory. Broadhead would continue to hassle the United defense and go on to get a hat trick, scoring twice in the second half, making it 3-1. United absolutely dominated possession throughout the game, but without the playmaker Hannibal their offense looked as if it was missing a vital key. The game ended 3-1 Everton.
Wrap Up
This was a difficult game to watch because United were playing well throughout but without Hannibal, they lacked that killer edge. If one thing can be taken from this loss it is the importance that Hannibal has for this team. Without him on the pitch United’s offense looked as if they had everything except one key ingredient. An ingredient that clearly Hannibal brings with him. The loss puts United in 5th place on the PL2 table. The U23s will look to bounce back from the loss against Southampton’s U23s on 2/27/21 at 9:00 AM EST.
Manchester United U23 Standings
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