A week that started with Manchester United beating Liverpool to clinch Champions League qualification, and saw captain Bruno Fernandes voted Footballer of the Year, ended with a damp squib on Wearside.
United haven’t produced many bad performances under Michael Carrick, but this was one of them as a team showing five changes from last weekend laboured against a spirited Sunderland side who hit the post through Brian Brobbey and were frustrated by goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
In fact, United didn’t manage a single shot on target until the third minute of injury-time when Matheus Cunha’s effort was blocked by Robin Roefs at close-range, which is a damning indictment on a team still packed with expensive, attacking talent.
The result and performance may not have a huge reckoning on Carrick’s future in the circumstances, whichever way the Old Trafford hierarchy go when they choose their permanent head coach at the end of the season. But it didn’t reflect so well on some of the fringe players who got their chance here and didn’t take it.
The only positive for United was that they weren’t beaten, and a point moves them closer to securing third place in the Premier League after Liverpool’s draw at home to Chelsea earlier in the day.
Of the changes made by Carrick, Benjamin Sesko was ruled out with a shin injury, and Casemiro was missing with a minor knock that the head coach described as ‘nothing major’. It is not expected to keep him out of his Old Trafford farewell against Nottingham Forest next weekend.
Manchester United put in one of their worst performances in under Michael Carrick against an impressive Sunderland
Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount made rare starts in their place but struggled to make an impact. Noussair Mazraoui came in for Diogo Dalot, while Lisandro Martinez returned from suspension and Amad Diallo was recalled against his old club with Ayden Heaven and Bryan Mbeumo dropping out.
Regis Le Bris made one change for Sunderland from their draw at Wolves last weekend as Lutsharel Geertruida replaced Dan Ballard who – like Martinez – had been controversially sent off for hair-pulling.
Perhaps not surprisingly given the number of changes, United looked disjointed in the first half and were fortunate that the game was goalless at the interval.
Sunderland’s high press caused them problems throughout in the difficult wet conditions, and the Black Cats had a number of chances to make their dominance count.
The best of them fell to Noah Sidiki in the sixth minute after Chemsdine Talbi had already curled an effort narrowly wide. Sidiki was sent clear by Enzo Le Fee’s fantastic first-time throughball, but Lammens – who has been United’s undisputed No.1 since making his debut against Sunderland at Old Trafford in October – came out to make a vital save.
The Belgian bravely got down at the feet of Brobbey to smother after the Dutchman got free of Martinez at a free kick, and Talbi had a goalbound effort deflected wide off Mount before half-time.
The big talking point of the half came when Le Fee tried to play the ball into the United box and it hit the outstretched arm of Diallo, making his first appearance at the Stadium of Light since he starred on loan here in the 2022-23 season.
Referee Stuart Attwell rejected Sunderland’s claims for a penalty, which was all the more interesting given that he was in charge at Bournemouth last month when he gave Carrick’s side a spot-kick for a foul on Matheus Cunha but denied them a second penalty for a similar challenge on Diallo.
Fringe players such as Mason Mount (right) got their chance but failed to make an impact
That was the cause of United’s subsequent complaint to the Premier League, not his decision to award Bournemouth a late penalty and send off Harry Maguire. Attwell also upset United in January by ruling out a Martinez goal, which the Key Match Incidents Panel later ruled should have stood.
United did threaten a couple of times on the rare occasions they made it out of their own half, but Diallo curled wide when Fernandes squared a free kick to him, and Zirkzee headed over from Cunha’s cross.
It spoke volumes about United’s performance that they didn’t have a shot on target before the break for the first time in the Premier League this season.
A similar pattern developed after half-time and United’s frustration was summed up by Mount and Zirkzee picking up unnecessary bookings, both for fouls on Omar Alderete. Zirkzee then showed his displeasure towards Kobbie Mainoo when the midfielder misplaced a pass to him.
Lammens came to United’s rescue again just after the hour mark, denying Brobbey one-on-one after he had been played in by Le Fee. That was the cue for Carrick to send on Patrick Dorgu for the ineffective Zirkzee to try and his give his team more energy.
It didn’t work and Brobbey was inches away from giving Sunderland a deserved lead when his shot from just inside the box beat Lammens and came back off the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. It was a slice of luck United barely deserved in a game that won’t live in the memory.
