3. Fatigue sets into United’s play
Before the start of the game Van Gaal was bemoaning the fact that his side had to play within 48 hours of their previous game. So it was certainly surprising to see that he had named an unchanged line-up for the first time this season. But having won seven of their last eight games, he certainly had every right to stick with the same players.
But for his gamble to pay off, what he needed was an early goal. Unfortunately, for all of their possession and the chances they created, they were unable to score one in the first half. And that made them vulnerable in the second half, where the attacking players, some of whom had played the 90 minutes against Newcastle were feeling the after-effects as the Red Devils in the end, had to hang onto the point.