Manchester United endured another difficult Premier League match as Everton rallied to earn a 1-1 draw after falling behind in the first half at Old Trafford.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made some changes to the team on Saturday after United’s recent 2-1 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League.
The Norwegian boss dropped star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench this weekend, despite the Portuguese running in good form.
The manager’s decision to change the lineup seemed to be vindicated when Anthony Martial scored the first goal in the 43rd minute.
However, despite featuring Ronaldo off the bench in the second half, the visitors managed to restore parity, with Andros Townsend on the scoresheet. And thus, the Red Devils failed to take full points in the home match, suffering a blow in their race for the league title.
The 36-year-old looked frustrated at the end of the match, muttering to himself while going down the tunnel.
When asked about leaving the Portuguese out, Solskjaer claimed he didn’t regret the decision.
He said (as per Sky Sports): “You make decisions throughout a long, long season; you have to manage the players’ workload and the decision for me was the correct one.”
“Anthony Martial did well, scored a good goal. Edinson [Cavani] needed minutes and could have had a goal. We have to make those decisions at the time.”
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Manchester United are expected to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title this season.
They have made some heavy investments in bringing new players in the summer transfer window.
However, their performances haven’t been very convincing in the last few matches.
Ronaldo has been very impressive so far, contributing heavily for the team through his goals.
It is only right that he should be given more opportunities than others in the team.
