Hapless United rightly defeated against Bournemouth
Following their ignominious Champions League exit at the hands of Wolfsburg on Tuesday, the Old Trafford faithful would have been looking for a response from their team. However that response never came and van Gaal, already under intense scrutiny, is surely walking on thin ice now. The reality is that United are still uneasy on the eyes and do not create enough chances. Their defensive record, as deceiving as it is having conceded a league-low 10 goals before kick-off, was undermined by two avoidable goals. For Junior Stanislas’ first, a keeper of David De Gea’s stature should not have been beaten in the manner he was, while King was the beneficiary of United’s static defending on the second. Tough times lie ahead for the Red Devils.
Aston Villa slump continues
With their latest setback at home to Arsenal, Aston Villa are now winless in 15 games with 12 losses among those. They have the joint-second-most porous defence and are the league’s joint-lowest scorers with just 13 goals. Their meek quota of six points in 16 games is chillingly reminiscent of Derby County in the 2007-08 season who had the same tally after 16 games and were relegated as early as March, the earliest ever in the Premier League. In the first half, Villa appeared afraid to play against an Arsenal team that was irresistible. Despite an improved second half performance, their lack of resources meant that a route back into this game could never be contemplated. Already eight points from safety, there is an air of resignation that relegation awaits.
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