Live

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-06:00 PM

Highlights on Off The Ball
Advertisement
Soccer

Why were Man United suddenly involved in such an open game?

Louis van Gaal's mood must have gone into plummet mode as he watched Paul Dummett thump in a defl...



Why were Man United suddenly i...
Soccer

Why were Man United suddenly involved in such an open game?

Louis van Gaal's mood must have gone into plummet mode as he watched Paul Dummett thump in a deflected late equaliser for Newcastle against his Manchester United side tonight.

But are there any positives for the United manager to take from the performance in the type of 3-3 draw the club have not been involved in for some time?

Ex-Chelsea and Everton winger Pat Nevin was on Off The Ball after the match and feels that the impact of festive football made for a more open game.

"This time of the year, it's not uncommon to get exciting games because there actually are tired players out there. So when there's tired players out there, spaces open up and people don't chase back when they should," he said, also adding that United's early goal led to the game being open from the beginning.

"A lot of games, it's the simplest thing in the world. If you get a fairly early goal, it just changes everything. So, Manchester United get a goal after 10 minutes, suddenly Newcastle have no option and need to open the game out and need to go and attack. So that lengthens the game."  

Why were Man United suddenly involved in such an open game?

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

Soccer