Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has recreated Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip as he continues to struggle ahead of the new season.
The Cameroonian shot-stopper manned the sticks for United as they locked horns with Liverpool in a pre-season friendly in the USA.
After a loss against Premier League rival Arsenal, the Red Devils were expected to put up a more solid and promising performance against Arne Slot’s Liverpool but it ended in a rout.
Goals from Fabio Carvalho, Curtis Jone, and Tsimikas condemned United to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the Williams-Brice Stadium, ensuring the Erik ten Hag-led side wrap up their pre-season campaign on a low.
Away from the loss, Onana made headlines again with a ludicrous blunder scene in the game. Liverpool star Harvey Elliot had attempted a pass but it went wayward on goal.
Onana ran out to pick up the loose ball but lost his balance and slipped. Luckily for him, there was no Liverpool player on the attack. So, he was able to gather the ball but the incident didn’t go unnoticed.
Some fans, mocking him for his innumerable blunders, compared the slip to Steven Gerrard’s in 2014 during a crucial Premier League clash.
Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip against Chelsea
Liverpool were on course to end their 14-year wait for the Premier League title before a cruel moment impacted their chances of winning the title.
It was in a crucial Premier League encounter against arch-domestic rivals Chelsea when the incident occurred with the Reds’ legendary midfielder Steven Gerrard at the center of the infamy.
The match was close to ending goalless at the break when the horror moment came for Steven Gerrard in the injury time of the first half.
Former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho had passed the ball to Gerrard from close range, and shockingly, the midfielder lost his poise and slipped, leaving the ball to roll to Demba Ba.
Ba, picking up the missed pass, made no mistake with the golden chance. He came one-on-one with Liverpool goalkeeper, Mignolet, rounding the latter to score and give Chelsea the lead.
Willian would score again deep into stoppage time to seal victory for then-Jose Mourinho-led Chelsea. Liverpool suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at home with Gerrard’s horror mistake dominating the headlines.
Andre Onana’s underwhelming performance for Manchester United
While he improved slightly in the run-in of the last campaign, Onana’s start for Manchester United was a near disaster. His poor performance saw United crash out of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League in the group stages, conceding 18 goals.
He conceded 10 goals in four of United’s first six matches at the start of the campaign. In United’s pre-season matches so far, Andre Onana is not showing signs of picking up. He has conceded seven goals in the last three matches with the Liverpool blunder serving as a reminder of his error-ridden goalkeeper.
However, he will be expected to close the gaps and improve performance as United prepare to open their 2024-25 football campaign against Manchester City in the 2024 Community Shield clash on Saturday, August 10.
