BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) – Manchester United supervisor Ralf Rangnick stated it was exhausting to search out positives after his facet didn’t capitalise on their greatest half-hour of his watch in a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa within the Premier League on Saturday.
United, with out the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, dominated many of the first half at Villa Park and have been 2-0 up after 67 minutes due to a double by Bruno Fernandes.
But Aston Villa’s debutant Philippe Coutinho got here off the bench to encourage a house comeback, organising a aim by Jacob Ramsey after which equalising to go away United shocked.
After profitable his first two Premier League video games in cost after taking up from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim supervisor, Rangnick’s facet have picked up 5 factors from their subsequent 4 video games and nonetheless haven’t gained away beneath the German.
They stay seventh within the standings, a degree behind Tottenham Hotspur who’ve two video games in hand.
Rangnick’s facet dominated Villa early on as Rangnick’s urgent recreation gave them the platform to dominate.
But they have been unable to keep up the depth.
“It could be very troublesome to search out positives after these 95 minutes,” Rangnick stated. “I felt it was the most effective recreation since I got here right here within the first half for half-hour we dominated. We took some steps ahead however have a number of issues to do higher.
“The plan was to press them within the midzone and we did that very nicely within the first half-hour, and management the ball, and people have been the positives. When you might be 2-0 up you need to defend higher than we did within the final quarter-hour.”
Villa have been a lot improved within the second half however Rangnick stated United ought to have taken the three factors dwelling.
“It appears like a defeat, to be sincere,” he stated. “In the final quarter-hour we weren’t as compact and conceded two objectives.”
Villa supervisor Steven Gerrard conceded he had an “sincere” dialogue together with his gamers at halftime after a disappointingly lacklustre opening half through which his facet have been off the tempo.
“It took some honesty at halftime as a result of now we have to demand extra from the gamers,” Gerrard stated. “For the primary 25 minutes we have been second greatest and did not do what we needed to do.
“Credit to them they have been higher than us. We have been passive and second greatest and deserved to be within the place we have been.”
The introduction of Gerrard’s previous Liverpool staff mate Philippe Coutinho off the bench for his Villa debut with 20 minutes remaining helped flip the match with the Brazilian organising Jacob Ramsey and scoring the equaliser himself.
“Phil has performed a cameo and we received two objectives. You do not lose expertise, he simply must be in a spot the place he feels liked and supported. He’s 29 and nonetheless has that starvation,” Gerrard stated of Coutinho who’s on mortgage from Barcelona.
“Once he is fitter and stronger I’ve little doubt he’ll rating objectives for this staff.”
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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