Here’s a look back at Manchester United’s 2019/20 season, and the most memorable matches and moments from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first full season in charge.
For Manchester United, the 2019/20 season was the start of a new era where they would try to recapture the essence of what made the club great.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was out to prove that he was not a flash in the pan after his caretaker spell in Man Utd’s 2018/19 season was followed by a disaster the moment he signed permanently.
With United in Europe, there was a chance to make a dent in four competitions, and the club made a good fist of it until mostly failing to get past the finishing line.
- Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The season will be remembered as the start of the “COVID era”, but United actually played their best football in empty stadiums, which coincided with the arrival of a certain Bruno Fernandes!
Man Utd 2019/20 season outcome and top scorer
- Premier League position – 3rd
- Points total – 66
- FA Cup – Semi-finals
- Carabao Cup – Semi-finals
- Europa League – Semi-finals
- Top scorer – Anthony Martial (23)
Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford were joint top scorers in the league, bagging 17 goals each, while Martial was the overall top scorer with 23 in all competitions.
That was Rashford’s highest goal tally in a season till that point, a figure he would better in Man Utd’s 2022/23 season.
2019/20 transfers in and out
Transfers in
- Daniel James (Leeds)
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace)
- Harry Maguire (Leicester City)
- Bruno Fernandes (Sporting)
- Odion Ighalo (Loan from Shanghai)
Transfers out
- Ander Herrera (free)
- Antonio Valencia (free)
- Romelu Lukaku (Inter)
- Matteo Darmian (Parma)
- Ashley Young (Inter)
Memorable matches of 2019/20
In a season that can effectively be divided into parts – pre- and post-Bruno Fernandes- United had a few memorable matches.
Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea
Manchester United’s Premier League campaign was given a marquee start against Frank Lampard’s Chelsea, and by the time the whistle for full-time was blown, Man Utd fans were dreaming of a title.
United blew Chelsea away at Old Trafford in a swashbuckling 4-0 win. Rashford scored twice, Martial added a third, before Daniel James had one of the most emotional debuts in recent memory.
The rapid winger scored at the Stretford End to mark his debut and shed tears at the fulfillment of his dream. All was good at United.
Chelsea 1-2 Man Utd
Solskjaer’s side had made a stuttering start to the season after beating Chelsea at Old Trafford, and when they visited Chelsea on October 30, the opportunity was there to kickstart the season.
It was the Marcus Rashford show on the day, as a double from the player, including a stunning 40-yard free-kick, eliminated Chelsea from the FA Cup in the fourth round.
United had momentum on their side, and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was probably starting to hate the sight of Solskjaer’s Red Devils!
Man Utd 0-0 Wolves
Can a goalless draw be memorable? It certainly can be if it marks the debut of Man Utd’s most monumental signing post-Sir Alex Ferguson.
Bruno Fernandes arrived from Sporting and even though he didn’t score on his debut, he looked like he belonged at the club.
The now-trademark audaciousness was there from game one, and his debut was a sign of things to come. A new era had begun at United.
Bruno Fernandes’ impressive Manchester United debut season
- Fernandes averaged a goal contribution per game
Fernandes ended the season with 12 goals and 8 assists in 20 appearances.
- Fernandes enjoyed a 100 per cent record from the penalty spot
Eight of Fernandes’ goals were penalties, with a decisive strike on the final day of the season against Leicester, and another in the Europa League semi-final.
- Almost unbeatable
Fernandes did not lose any of the 14 Premier League matches he played for Manchester United. His only two defeats in 23 games came in cup competitions.
- Creative star: He was United’s second highest league assister
Fernandes’ average of 2.1 key passes played per game was the sixth best in the Premier League of players who started 10 games or more this season.
- Impressive United and Sporting combined numbers
In his 50 appearances this season for both clubs, Fernandes scored a total of 27 goals and provided 22 assists.
Leicester City 0-2 Man Utd
Fernandes’ debut was a shot in the arm for Man Utd, who mounted a serious second half of the season to chase down Leicester City for a Champions League spot.
The final matchday of the season was a straight shootout, with Leicester starting it on 62 points, and United on 63.
United needed to draw the game or win to keep Leicester at bay, but they went one better and won 2-0.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up again when it mattered, scoring from the penalty spot, and Jesse Lingard finished the scoring. United were back in the elite European competition.
Astana 2-1 Man Utd
Only at Man Utd can a 2-1 loss to a Kazakhstani side be a memorable game, but this fixture summed up the fact that Solskjaer understood the pulse of the club.
Having already qualified for the knockout stages, United could afford to rotate for the long trip, and the Man Utd manager used the game as a chance to unleash an army of debutants and youngsters.
A remarkable six academy debuts were handed out over the course of 90 minutes, and with seven teenagers in the starting XI, this was a momentous game in the club’s history.
Lingard captained the side, which had some names who are familiar now. James Garner, Axel Tuanzebe, Ethan Laird, Angel Gomes, Tahith Chong, and Mason Greenwood played, while Matej Kovar and Teden Mengi were among the subs. Cancer survivor Max Taylor was on the bench to give him a memory of a lifetime.
United heritage at its finest.
Other notable moments in the 2019/20 season
United were “nearly men” in this season, bowing out at the semi-final stage of three cup competitions.
The COVID-era football meant the knockout stages of the Europa League were single-legged, and United lost to Sevilla on neutral grounds.
Man City dumped them out of the Carabao Cup, while Chelsea got a measure of revenge by winning in the FA Cup semifinal.
It was also the season where United finally washed their hands of Alexis Sanchez, an expensive mistake they couldn’t wait to get rid of.
Harry Maguire became club captain less than a year after joining, proving to be indispensable, and the “McFred” midfield partnership of Scott McTominay and Fred started to define Solskjaer’s tenure.
More important than anything, the team looked like they were on the cusp of something special, and the spirit of the club was back.
They would never achieve that “something special”, but there haven’t been many sights better for Man Utd fans post-Sir Alex than a Solskjaer team in full flow.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/QuLWaR5