Former Manchester United captain, Roy Keane slammed the players of the club following their 4-1 loss to their local rivals Manchester City on Sunday, March 6, 2022.
On the said date, coach Ralf Rangnick led Manchester United to the Etihad Stadium for the second Manchester derby of the 2021-2022 season without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Unfortunately for the visitors, they conceded the first goal as early as the 5th minute of the game, thanks to a strike from Kevin De Bruyne. But Manchester United were able to respond 17 minutes after thanks to Jason Sancho who scored the equalizer against his former club.
When Manchester United thought they are back to the game and they will maintain the eight games unbeaten run which they had before the Manchester derby, Kevin De Bruyne made it 2-1 for City.
Afterward, the two teams were not able to break each other defense. Hence, the first half ended 2-1 in favor of Manchester City.
In the second half, City completely dominated Manchester United but the worst moment for the Red Devils was the last 25 minutes. Within that time frame, Manchester City scored two goals via the boots of Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez scored City’s third goal of the match in the 68th minute and made it a 4-1 in the additional one minute. The last goal was almost ruled out for an offside until the VAR intervened.
At the end of the game, Roy Keane who played for Manchester United between 1993 and 2005 as a midfielder described United’s performance as “shameful”. He stressed that United’s performance against City on Sunday has shown how much the Red Devils have regressed.
Roy Keane went on to insist that most players in United’s first eleven did not run back and did not tackle during the Manchester derby, adding that five or six players ought to be forced out of the club.
“You’ve got to run back and you’ve got to tackle”, Roy Keane said via Sky Sports. “United players have shown quality over the years but we’ve seen a reflection of where the team is and where the club is.
“They’re so far behind the other teams. You hear noises all the time about things going on in the dressing room with a new manager coming in, but your bit of pride eventually has to kick in at some stage.
“There were five or six players there who should never play for Manchester United again. It was shameful.
“City are a fantastic team and that’s why they are champions. You hoped the subs who came on would have an impact, but they’re not prepared to run around, a couple of lads in midfield, Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Maguire, Rashford, I could go on.
“City didn’t have to be at their best. They still had another couple of gears to go. They toyed with them as they did at Old Trafford.
“It was men vs boys as the old saying goes. They gave up and shame on them.
“United’s history has been built on character and personality when you’re up against it. I feel like I’ve been sitting here for two weeks.
“United were never going to get back into it. The white flag came up and the game was over. It was unthinkable.”
Roy Keane speaking no-nonsense. Couldn’t be more agree. Manchester United attitude towards this game was shameful. pic.twitter.com/lEv1nVFe7z
— Muhammad Ichwan (@ichwxn) March 6, 2022
What is the alarming stats of the Manchester derby that got Roy Keane so infuriated?
The Manchester derby that ended 4-1 in favor of Manchester City, is the second Manchester derby of the 2021-2022 season. The first derby which took place in November ended 2-0 in favor of City.
This means that coach Pep Guardiola has led City to defeat United home and away in two different Premier League seasons. The first time the Spanish coach achieve that was in the 2018-2019 season.
In the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Manchester City enjoyed 92 percent of the ball possession in the last 15 minutes of the game while Manchester United made do with just 8 percent of the ball possession.
At the end of the game, Manchester City had 70 percent of the ball possession while United made do with just 30 percent.
In terms of shots, goalkeeper David de Gea of Manchester United saw more of the ball than Ederson of Manchester City. The host had 24 shots, 10 of which were on target. While United had a total number of five shots, two of which were on target.
In 90 minutes, City made 753 passes with 92 percent pass accuracy. While United made just 331 passes with 83 percent pass accuracy.
Things got so bad for Manchester United that they made just four touches in City’s eighteen-yard box. Throughout the second half, United recorded only 21 percent of the ball possession.
In the voice of Roy Keane, that was really “shameful”!
Now that Manchester United have dropped points, how opened his top four race?
Now that Manchester United have dropped three points after suffering a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City, the top four race is as opened as ever.
Before the game, United were occupying 4th place but the defeat has pushed them down to the 5th spot with 47 points in 28 games.
Hence, Arsenal which used to occupy the 5th spot have moved to the 4th spot with 48 points in 25 games.
As it stands, Arsenal’s chances of finishing the season in the top four are higher than United’s chances of making it because Arsenal have three games in hand.
Another team that stands a great chance of breaking into the top four is Tottenham Hotspur. They are currently occupying the 7th spot with 42 points in 25 games. If they win all their outstanding matches, they will certainly rank higher than United on the league table.
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