Manchester United arrived in Madrid talking about a fightback. They left with a 2-0 defeat, ten men and a defender openly questioning the people who run the club – a combination that turned a bad result into a full-blown crisis by Wednesday morning.
The tone was set before most fans had settled into their seats. One pass over the top split United open, Álex Baena squared, and Pablo Barrios’s shot deflected in off Ayden Heaven. The scorer dedicated the goal to Koke, Atlético’s skipper, who was mourning a family bereavement on the day of the game. Diego Simeone’s side then hit the woodwork twice through Álex Grimaldo and Julián Álvarez and had a Johnny Cardoso strike ruled out for handball after a VAR check.
United were not without opportunities. Bryan Mbeumo was denied twice, and Bruno Fernandes chipped wide when through on Jan Oblak before rattling the bar. By one count it was the first time since 2012 that United had wasted four big chances in a Champions League game. Then, with a quarter of an hour left, referee Glenn Nyberg went to the monitor and sent off Leny Yoro for hauling down Jonathan David – a call many pundits thought harsh. Ademola Lookman tapped in the rebound for the second goal moments later.
The real fallout came afterwards. Lisandro Martínez said he expected “more from the top” and singled out the technical director, insisting Michael Carrick had not been properly backed in the transfer market and that blame should not stop at the coach. Carrick declined to engage, putting the remarks down to post-match emotion. Jamie Carragher called them “awful”, while others felt the Argentinian simply said what supporters think.
Five games without a win and just two victories from nine this season leave United in desperate need of points at Leeds on Sunday.
