Man Utd 2-4 AC Milan: Five Talking Points as United Throw Away Lead Twice in Pre-Season Defeat
Manchester United suffered a frustrating 4-2 defeat to AC Milan in their final pre-season friendly, blowing two separate leads before the Italian giants took complete control in the closing stages.
Ruben Amorim enjoyed a winning return against his former club as Milan twice fought back from behind before scoring twice in three minutes to put the result beyond doubt in sweltering conditions in Wroclaw, Poland.
United could hardly have wished for a better start.
Harry Maguire struck inside the opening two minutes to hand Michael Carrick’s side an early advantage and give the travelling supporters plenty to cheer.
But the lead disappeared before half-time when Samuel Chukwueze found the equaliser, setting up an increasingly open second half.
United regained the advantage after the break through Patrick Dorgu, only for Milan to hit back once again.
Alphadjo Cisse restored parity before Goncalo Ramos and Ruben Loftus-Cheek struck within three minutes of each other to turn the contest firmly in Milan’s favour.
Even the long-awaited return of Marcus Rashford could not spark a United revival.
The forward was back in Manchester United colours after his summer absence, but his appearance could not prevent Carrick’s side from ending their preparations with a defeat.
With the new Premier League season now just around the corner, United will have little time to dwell on the result.
Their opening league fixture comes next Saturday against newly promoted Hull City — meaning the weaknesses exposed against Milan will need addressing quickly.
Here are five key talking points from the Tarczynski Arena.
1. Set piece success continues
No Casemiro, no problem. United said goodbye to one of their biggest set-piece threats this summer but still have the towering Maguire to count on.
Bruno Fernandes delivered a superb corner with just two minutes on the clock and it found the head of Maguire, who outmuscled his marker to score. The Red Devils became set-piece specialists after Carrick was appointed and look poised to maintain that tag in the new campaign.
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Harry Maguire put Manchester United in front(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
2. Fernandes misses penalty – again
Five minutes after Chukwueze equalised, United were given a golden opportunity to restore their lead. Youri Tielemans was brought down in the penalty area and the referee pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Fernandes, but like in Wednesday’s shootout against Leeds, he missed. The United captain went for power but Lorenzo Torriani was equal to it, making a fine save low to his left-hand side.
Fernandes’ struggles from the spot may well concern the Old Trafford faithful, although he’s usually a safe bet when the pressure is on. His miss ensured that it was 1-1 at the break.
Bruno Fernandes has missed his last two penalties(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
3. Dorgu justifies Carrick’s decision
Signed by Amorim and used primarily as a wing-back, the question of where Dorgu would feature in Carrick’s system was a big one back in January. But no more. The United manager’s decision to use him as a left winger has paid off.
The Denmark international established himself as undroppable before suffering an injury that effectively curtailed his season, although he did return to the starting XI on the final day, coming away with an impressive goal and assist. Early in the second half here, Dorgu showed his goalscoring instinct again by capitalising on a poor back pass from Filippo Terracciano, coolly slotting the ball home with his weaker right foot.
Milan drew level soon after, though. Cisse skirted the offside line to covert Chukwueze’s cross-cum-shot.
Patrick Dorgu punished AC Milan’s defensive error(Image: Sergei GAPON/AFP via Getty Images)
4. Rashford returns
After 612 days, Rashford was back in a Manchester United shirt. The forward came on as part of a raft of changes on the hour mark, with Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez also making their first appearances in pre-season.
Rashford was sporting the iconic No.9 shirt, although United noted before kick-off that their squad numbers are yet to be confirmed. Unfortunately for the 28-year-old, his introduction coincided with his team’s downfall.
Marcus Rashford wore a new squad number(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Ruben Amorim faced his former club(Image: Giuseppe Cottini/AC Milan via Getty Images)
5. Amorim gets last laugh
It may’ve only be a friendly but there’s no doubt that this win will taste sweet for Amorim. It was reported in midweek that United’s players and staff had spoken privately that they were fired up to beat the ex-Red Devils boss, but instead he came out on top.
And boy, did the Portuguese sorely need it. Milan’s previous pre-season results and performances had done little to encourage fans following his appointment earlier this summer, but they got their first win ahead of next Sunday’s Serie A opener away to Torino.
