"We've corrected a few things, we've put a few things right. We've of course made sure that we've prioritised a couple of things that needed to improve the most and I'm sure we'll see a good reaction and good team performance."
Those were Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's views heading into United's trip to Vicarage Road yesterday, with anything but a win bound to pile the pressure onto the Norwegian once more after he survived the pressure of the international break.
Before the match, current Watford and former United goalkeeper Ben Foster ushered that "there's a couple of teams you would genuinely worry about [in the Premier League] but the other 17 or 18 I honestly think we can get points from, and that includes United."
Who would be right? Had United improved over the last fortnight, or were they now easy pickings?
Having struggled with the approach since the encouraging victory away to Spurs following the Liverpool annihilation, the back five system Solskjaer opted for had proven a seeming one-off revolution. The man in charge reverted to a back four within his more commonplace 4231 setup. Victor Lindelof kept his spot within the back line amidst Raphael Varane's continued absence, partnering Harry Maguire after his impressive performances for England. Luke Shaw was significantly cleared to start having missed the international break with concussion, whilst Aaron Wan-Bissaka's place was maintained despite scrutiny over his recent performances.
Scott McTominay was another cleared to start having missed the international break, though with a throat infection as opposed to an injury. Nemanja Matic was selected alongside McTominay, offering early indications of negativity within the approach after midweek reports suggested Donny van de Beek may be in line for a rare start. It was announced prior to kickoff that Mason Greenwood had tested positive for Covid-19, hence Jadon Sancho was included in the starting side. Marcus Rashford sat out of the international break as a result of a combination of effects from his illness prior to the City match and general overload having returned from his early-season layoff, yet he was included and started with Sancho for the first time. Off the back of a disappointing international break, Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo proved continued mainstays in the squad.
Early indications suggested Watford were very much up for taking the match to United. Solskjaer's side was set up with a plethora of quality, yet they sat deep and allowed the home side to really play in the opening exchanges. The manager vowed that his team would respond to the dismal defeat against City two weeks ago "like a proper, hurt animal" but, aside from a few relatively unassuming breakouts, they had no control on the game from the outset.
Calamity struck for the hosts visitors just over five minutes, with a ludicrous early penalty conceded. Bruno Fernandes played an utterly careless hoof into the air under minimal intense pressure, with the intended cross-field pass ultimately looping backwards into his own penalty area. In subsequence, Scott McTominay allowed Josh King to run past him and clumsily dragged the Watford striker to ground. The following sequence of events left the match poised for a real mass of action.
Ismaila Sarr's spot kick was weak, with David de Gea denying the Senegalese international. However, the ball was parried into the path of the oncoming Kiko Femenia for the Spaniard to send the home side into an early lead. Well, the Watford right back thought he had given his side an advantage. Along with Wan-Bissaka, Femenia was adjudged to have encroached and a retake of the penalty was ordered. Up stepped Sarr again, but the penalty was quite literally a carbon copy of the missed kick. De Gea anticipated the strike once more, making it three successive penalty saves since his Europa League Final mishaps if you count both of those at Vicarage Road. Counting only the retake, his two Premier League penalty saves this season equate to the same amount he managed from the previous 31 faced.
United were again bailed out of jail by their goalkeeper, not made to pay for the string of events that followed Fernandes' criminally aimless launched ball.
Dominance in the game remained quite absent for United, even though that wasn't always reflected by possession stats. No authority was being asserted against a side on the brink of the relegation zone, with Watford allowed a serious foothold in proceedings. The Hornets were often able to slice United open, with the likes of Emmanuel Dennis threatening on the break; on one instance, Maguire was forced to crucially intervene after an electric break from the Nigerian.
As has become a theme, the United shape was really poor in conjunction with a distinct absence of discipline. The reds had started in a wild manner, epitomised by Fernandes' early error. The aforementioned lack of discipline was accentuated by McTominay's opening 20 minutes, conceding a penalty and picking up a booking.
Having previously neutralised the threat of a Dennis break, Maguire was called into action again to vitally block a King strike from close proximity. United were unforgivably under the cosh against a relegation-riddled side.
The Watford pressure paid off eventually, with a deserved opener coming around the half hour mark. Initially, Wan-Bissaka failed to deal sufficiently with a deep cross, with the right back unable to block Dennis' subsequent cutback. United academy product King managed to force the ball goalbound, with De Gea unable to deny the Norwegian having scrambled across his line. It was inexcusable that Watford were able to play through United with such ease in a congested penalty area.
The away side had no presence in the game, with everything done more in hope rather than with any particular direction. A prime example of United's hopefulness came from a lofted Fernandes ball, allowing Rashford to hit first time at Foster. The Watford goalkeeper was forced to make two saves, but that was all that United really troubled with - that sole opportunity did not grow from any cohesive buildup whatsoever.
It was hard to see any issues being put right as suggested by Solskjaer, with the story simply the same as it had been in many matches prior. Again, it was a recurring theme that United were giving the ball away excessively. Mistakes have become a given. Solskjaer's side were being totally outplayed, with Watford granted enough opportunities to be considerably ahead. Let's not ignore the fact that no side in the Premier League had previously failed to score in more games than Watford this season.
It was rapidly becoming a battering. Yes, a battering against a team battling against relegation. United were being pummelled by a number of crosses amongst other phases of attacking prowess from Watford, allowing their opposition unfathomable amounts of joy.
There were no in-game adaptations from Solskjaer to catalyse any improvement, something which has been exposed as a major flaw of his. Many more flaws have been becoming exposed week on week. The story was the same as against Liverpool and City, but this time against newly-promoted Watford. Watford. The ability to make teams look so good is staggering.
On the stroke of the break, Watford's advantage was doubled. To begin with, Matic and Sancho failed in their attempts to prevent some intricacy between Femenia and Tom Cleverley down the right hand side. The former of the Watford men was able to cut the ball back to the unmarked Sarr, with Shaw unable to prevent the progress. From there, Sarr was able to guide the ball into De Gea's far corner under no real exertion of pressure. Too easy was an understatement.
United conceded 11 shots throughout the first half against one of the league's weakest attacks, somehow managing to be significantly eclipsed by Watford despite holding 62% of possession within the opening 45 minutes. Once more, a group of quality personnel had been set up with distinct incompetence.
Heading into the second period, both Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial were handed real minutes - McTominay and Rashford both made way having missed the international break for their respective nations.
Still, there was no collective identity as thinks kicked off after the pause. Watford seemed continually superior in that department, but all it took was one piece of quality from United to get back into the game.
Both halftime substitutes were involved in a fluid manoeuvre, with Van de Beek scoring for only the second time in his United career. Martial spread the ball wide to Sancho, who played a wicked delivery into Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker unselfishly nodded the ball to the oncoming Van de Beek, with the Dutchman heading into Foster's empty net.
United's number 34 provided why he is a specialist with regards to movement from midfield in and around the penalty area. It was a huge statement from Van de Beek.
Momentum should have been on United's side, yet they remained far from perfect. Watford could have restored a two goal advantage if it wasn't for De Gea, as King found himself through again after some lacklustre tracking from Wan-Bissaka.
On the flip side, Sancho grew more involved for United after Van de Beek's addition. The pair combined very efficiently with their technical abilities, with some sensational linkup passages between the two. One especially large chance came from a pinpoint threaded ball played exceptionally by Van de Beek down the right flank, with Sancho providing an expert delivery to Fernandes - only for the attempt to be squandered. The summer signing was proving far more potent on his natural right side, as evidenced by his involvement in the United goal on top of other occasions throughout the second half.
Van de Beek was really starting to dictate proceedings, a major influencer in everything good that stemmed from United. He almost provided an assist with a wonderful through ball into Ronaldo, only for Foster to deny the United striker as he lost his footing at the decisive moment. Given the quality on display from the midfielder, the regular negligence of his services continues to grow more perplexing. The game flowed better from a United standpoint for a phase, with Van de Beek enhancing the collective showing as a linchpin offering plenty of technicality within the midfield.
Things looked on the rise for United, but that all came crashing down in an instant. Harry Maguire held onto and messed about with the ball at the back for far too long, carelessly lunging in on Cleverley having taken an unnecessarily heavy touch. Having already been booked, he saw red. It was hard to determine his aims under the circumstances, with no real excuses on his behalf. Having already been booked, it was utterly careless from the captain.
Emphasis has to be put on the “captain” part of the previous point, by the way. After the dismissal, he threw the armband on the floor. Maguire should know better as the leader of this team. The action does not sit right at all. He had a good international break and actually a decent first half against the danger posed by Watford, but he proved some liability again (amidst his recent struggles) in the second half. It’s a rough patch for the centre back, and he joins Raphael Varane as being unavailable against Chelsea after the dismissal. Jeopardy.
After Maguire's sending off, Van de Beek was left rather alone in the middle as Matic covered in the defence. Now the main midfield man, the substitute created for Ronaldo yet again with an incisive ball in behind; again, it was wasteful from United's number seven. Van de Beek was establishing some connection with Ronaldo, with one clever pass providing an assist only for Ronaldo to be deemed offside having rounded Foster and converted. To be frank, the Dutchman could have had multiple assists on top of his goal on another day.
Chances were coming from United, but something always seemed to crumble when it came to the end produce. Ronaldo was substantially involved thanks to the quality of Van de Beek and Sancho but couldn't propel his side to an equaliser, whilst Fernandes was misfiring on pretty much all cylinders.
There was more concern for United in the latter stages, with Shaw forced off having taken a ball to the face shortly after being cleared of concussion during the international break. Diogo Dalot was introduced at left back as a concussion substitution, meaning Jesse Lingard could still replace Sancho for the five minutes of additional time.
No matter, United were made to pay for prolonged wastefulness and the man disadvantage. Moments after De Gea denied the Brazilian substitute, Joao Pedro boosted Watford to a late 3-1 lead. The goal stemmed from Martial's loss of possession, before somehow nobody took onus to close down eventual supplier Dennis. Fernandes failed to cut the passing lane, with Lindelof tame in his attempted denial as Pedro beat De Gea at his near post.
Even during United's 'better' periods during the second half, they only matched Watford at best. That level was hardly even sustained.
Pedro's goal didn't signify the end of what was becoming a rout in injury time. The calamity worsened for United, as Dennis deservedly made it four on the cusp of fulltime. United were caught essentially sleeping, caught out by an innocuous punt from Foster. Cucho Hernandez proved a nuisance in shielding the bouncing ball from a weak Dalot, with Matic allowing Dennis to bypass him and charge onto the travelling ball to finish. Dalot still could have done far more to prevent the strike, but the Nigerian pristinely fired into De Gea's far corner.
That was that, and it would prove the case in more ways than one.
United were propelled to a negative goal difference, closing the weekend 12 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea after five losses in seven matches within the competition. With 20 shots against more than double what they managed, it's fair to say that United were massacred by a team in a fight to merely stay in the division.
United have won the joint least points in the Premier League since 25th September with a measly four. Only bottom two sides Norwich and Newcastle have conceded more than United’s 21 in the league so far this season, with no other team in the league have conceding more than United’s 16 over the last six matches.
There were some interesting scenes at fulltime. Solskjaer apologetically held his hands up to the travelling contingent in the away end amidst a rumbling of boos, whilst Fernandes was fast to stick up for his manager and gesticulate a point of argument that the players also deserve some blame.
“It's everyone's fault. It's not the coach, it's not one player - it's everyone.”
Those comments from unarguably Solskjaer's number one signing were far from enough.
The manager wasn't surviving this one, and his three year tenure relatively promptly drew to an unofficial close by mutual agreement later that evening. In the boss' words following confirmation of his essential sacking, "unfortunately I couldn’t get the results we needed and it’s time for me to step aside.”
As De Gea's put it, "it was nightmare after nightmare" at Vicarage Road.
It was a dismal way to see Solskjaer's tenure draw to a close, but the progress made under his reign cannot be tarnished by recent mishaps.
“I know the foundation is there, I know they’re ready to kick on and I’m sure they will.”
It's up from here.
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