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Manchester United suffered a crushing defeat on Thursday night, conceding twice in stoppage time to fall to a 4-3 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
While United went two goals down after just 19 minutes, they did well to launch a comeback, rising to a 3-2 lead before their ultimate capitulation at the death.
From the first whistle, struggling winger Antony showed his desire to earn his place in Erik ten Hag’s starting 11.
Antony looked to grab the lead for United from the first minute, taking a shot from close range that was blocked. Once United went a goal down, he attempted his signature shot from the edge of the box, curling the ball into the far post to force a save from the Chelsea goalkeeper.
While unable to get on the scoresheet, the Brazilian was a constant threat to Chelsea’s defence, getting one shot on target while two attempts were blocked. He also never got a shot off target, thus showing that his accuracy has improved.
One area where Antony improved immensely from previous matches was by exhibiting quality on the ball. He managed to complete six of his seven attempted dribbles while winning nine of his 16 duels in total.
The Brazilian also did well to track back and aid his team in defence, completing two tackles while only being dribbled past once. The one defensive mishap that he performed, however, came in the 19th minute when he gave away a penalty.
Upon closer inspection, there wasn’t much in his tackle on Marc Cucurella, with his knee nudging into the Chelsea player’s side. Still, it was an unnecessary trick for Antony to fall for, especially since the Chelsea defender was not in a highly threatening position.
The strongest aspect of Antony’s performance was his passing. The winger completed 32 of his 37 passes for an 86% passing accuracy.
He completed two key passes as well as all three of his long balls and his only cross of the game.
Antony’s shining moment undoubtedly came in the 67th minute, when he drilled a cross from the right to the opposite wing, where Alejandro Garnacho was able to score to put United in the lead.
While United were unable to see out the win, Antony undoubtedly played a key role in giving them a fighting chance to come away with a valuable three points.
Ultimately, this performance showed the promise that Antony can bring to United’s offensive game, possibly showing that his struggles to adapt to life at Old Trafford could be overcome with the right guidance.
Stats via sofascore.com.
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