Manchester United responded to the loss in the derby with a 1-0 win against Bournemouth and contributing writer, Nathan Quao of Citi Sports, Accra, points out the main topics from the tie.
Good victory, average performance
At the end of the day, we will all care about the result and the fact that the team could find the victory after the loss to Manchester City but the process of getting the result did not leave anyone feeling great.
First, the team was open and that allowed Bournemouth to attack at will especially through their left hand side. United did not look steady and the Cherries looked really assured in what they did on the night.
Until the goal came, there was a lot of uncertainty about the passing and forward play. The runs were not being made properly and when it looked like coming together, the final pass was not good enough.
Had it been an opposition team with better quality in the most important places, the Red Devils would have had a more difficult evening.
There was nothing bullish about the team and that was not right. After losing the derby, one would perceive that the players would come out and try to blow Bournemouth away but that was absent.
All that did was to feed the narrative about Man United lacking drive and arrogance and the killer instinct.
Other players like Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford need to bring their skills and qualities to the fore a bit more often.
They must be braver and smarter in their play because that is what will open the tight doors of defences at crucial moments.
Lukaku finds the net once again
He may not have celebrated proudly but the goal Lukaku scored will give him some joy after being in the spotlight for failing to find the target.
The goal itself was not the greatest of headers but it was reminder to the fans and the player of what he could do. For a player who has a very obvious physical presence, heading the ball does not seem to favoured by Lukaku very often.
One cannot say if it is a bid to shed off the stereotyping of big physically huge forwards but the Belgian, more often than not, favours shooting at goal than rising to nod the ball onwards.
After getting his 9th of the season, Lukaku needs to find the net more often. That will do him and the team a lot of good.
Strikers must score goals and it is as simple as that. Doing the other things is very important as well but he was brought in to find goals and he must be reminded of that. The other reminder he needs is the fact all goals count.
Fans have no qualms with the goals their forwards score provided they count and Lukaku must understand this concept well if he will move on to become a feared number 9.
Shaw gets some more minutes
It was refreshing to see Luke Shaw playing just over 80 minutes for the team. He has gone through a very trying period at the club since he joined.
There were times when it looked like he was done and he was closer to the exit than the Old Trafford turf.
But he has worked hard and he is getting the opportunities as and when they present themselves.
In terms of his performance, he put in a few tackles and he was involved in getting the ball back when the Cherries were advancing.
However, it was slightly disappointing not see him advance a lot more than he did. Maybe he was playing to instructions but he could have been a greater threat to Bournemouth.
All in all, it was a good run-out for the young left-back and he should be ready for the next time. It is true that injuries have stalled him but another part of the story is that he has not pushed himself mentally to succeed.
If he does that well, the door will not be difficult to break down on the way to greatness.
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