HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1, MANCHESTER UNITED 1
Manchester United must play in next season’s Europa League after only drawing 1-1 at relegated Huddersfield Town after Isaac Mbenza cancelled out Scott McTominay’s opening goal.
Town earned only their 5th point in 24 Premier League games with an unlikely second half equaliser from Isaac Mbenza after he outpaced Luke Shaw to shock Manchester United.
Embed from Getty ImagesScott McTominay had scored early but the Reds paid the price for assuming that the league’s record lowest scorers at home would not be able to rouse themselves one last time this season.
Paul Pogba hit the crossbar twice as United failed to find a winner with Town goalkeeper Jonas Lossl also pulling off a string of saves to deny them.
The draw meant that the Reds stayed in 6th place and would play in the Europa League next season after failing to secure the win they needed to stay in mathematical contention for a 4th place finish.
And they may even end up in the qualifying rounds of UEFA’s second tier competition if Watford win the FA Cup.
This leaves Reds fans unexpectedly needing to cheer on Manchester City if their team ends up finishing 6th after the their final league game against Cardiff game next Sunday.
United made just three changes from the side which drew 1-1 at Old Trafford against Chelsea last weekend.
All three changes were injury enforced, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bringing in Phil Jones, Scott McTominay, and Alexis Sanchez to replace Eric Bailly, Ander Herrera, and Romelu Lukaku.
Sanchez was only making his first Premier League start since the win against Southampton in March.
Marcus Rashford was taken off with a shoulder injury in that game but was passed fit to play at the John Smith’s Stadium while David De Gea continued in goal with Sergio Romero injured as speculation became rampant that the Spaniard was about to be dropped after three high profile mistakes in his last four games.
Town were seeking to enjoy themselves in their last Premier League home match of the season, and the fans repeatedly thanks outgoing chairman Dean Hoyle for everything he has done for the club.
But the visitors were soon in the lead after Scott McTominay’s speculative strike from the edge of the area bounced off the legs of Jonas Lossl and looped into the back of the Terriers net.
It was the midfielder’s second goal of the season.
With a goal in the bag, United relaxed but rather than going for the jugular the game had an end of term feel about it, as though they were resigned to missing out on a top 4 finish.
McTominay had another effort blocked but the Reds were bringing out the backheels and tricks against the limited Terriers.
Juan Mata went close, bending his shot beyond the back post after being released by Marcus Rashford’s backheel in the 25th minute.
Town had posed only the briefest of threats, with Juninho Bacuna firing wide twice in the first half – once from a free kick – and Isaac Mbenza firing wide.
Bacuna found Karlan Grant with a through ball in the 40th minute but his effort from the edge of the box was blocked by the legs of De Gea on his 6 yard line – the first save the Spaniard had had to make.
Paul Pogba’s looping header rattled the crossbar in the 42nd minute after the Frenchman met Mata’s cross from the left.
Terriers fans were also in an end of term mood. They mocked United’s inability to build on their slender one goal lead, declaring: “How s*** must you be?”
Town’s club captain Tommy Smith replaced Erik Durm at half time and Grant fired high after being put through by Bacuna.
United lost Sanchez to injury in the 54th minute, with Tahith Chong replacing him, having just brought on Ander Herrera for Nemanja Matic a minute before.
Huddersfield Town level through Isaac Mbenza’s quick finish after Luke Shaw’s error
Town were soon on level terms while Isaac Mbenza outpaced Luke Shaw from a Jonas Lossl goal line clearance on the hour to slot past De Gea – his first goal for the Terriers coming after nutmegging the Spanish ‘keeper.
The Town forward celebrated his first goal for the club by destroying the corner flag leading to a lengthy delay while it was replaced with Terrie the Terrier amusingly involved in efforts to fix the damaged pitch furniture.
The Town fans were jubilant, not least because they avoided the tag of lowest scoring home team in Premier League history (they now share the distinction with the Man City team of 06/07), but also outscoring the worst team in Premier League history (Derby County in 07/08) with the 21st goal of their season so far.
It was United’s tenth failure to keep a Premier League clean sheet in 10 consecutive games – their worst run since 11 between May and October 1986.
The John Smith’s party atmosphere was back as the stadium was on its feet and singing about relegation and how awful they were.
United fans seemed to join in with the chorus about their own team too as the Reds flapped around after realising they were not easily beating the Premier League rock bottom team.
Sensing an upset, the Terriers upped their game, harrying the Reds who were still trying to beat them.
Rashford fired wide from Mata’s cutback after 73 minutes and Diogo Dalot was brought on for Victor Lindelof with 7 minutes to go to try and create a winner.
Dalot crossed for McTominay who bundled the ball wide while Chong’s shot from wide on the left was saved by Lossl after ogba had released him.
Grant could have scored a winner for Town with 90 seconds of normal time to go when Town found themselves 3 on 2 but De Gea saved with his feet again after his shot deflected off Ashley Young.
Goalscorer Mbenza was replaced by Adama Diakhaby for 8 minutes of added time.
Lossl saved from Herrera and Rashford while Pogba hit the woodwork again as Town celebrated only their 5th point out of the last 72 to deny United Champions League football next season.
It was arguably Town’s most famous Premier League result since a 2-1 win at the John Smith’s Stadium, also against United, came in October 2017, last season, in their first spell back in the top flight since the early 1970s.
A fitting send off for much loved departing Chairman Dean Hoyle, and for Huddersfield Town at home in the Champions League.
GOALS – Huddersfield Town 1, Manchester United 1
Huddersfield Town 0, Man Utd 1: 8. Scott McTominay’s speculative strike from the edge of the area bounced off the legs of Jonas Lossl and looped into the back of the Terriers net
Huddersfield Town 1, Man Utd 1: 60. Isaac Mbenza outpaced Luke Shaw from a Jonas Lossl goal line clearance on the hour to slot past De Gea – his first goal for the Terriers a classic nutmeg of the Spanish ‘keeper
MATCH STATS – Huddersfield Town 1, Manchester United 1
Huddersfield Town: Lossl, Bacuna, Schindler, Kongolo, Durm (Smith 46), Mbenza (Diakhaby 90), Mooy, Hogg, Lowe, Pritchard, Grant
Huddersfield Town Subs not used: Coleman, Kachunga, Mounie, Stankovic, Daly
Booked: Lossl 90+4 (timewasting)
Goal: Mbenza 60
Man Utd: De Gea, Young, Jones, Lindelof (Dalot 83), Shaw, McTominay, Matic (Herrera 53), Pogba, Mata, Sanchez (Chong 54), Rashford
Man Utd Subs not used: Grant, Smalling, Pereira, Fred
Booked: Jones 33 (late foul on Jonathan Hogg)
Goal: McTominay 8
Referee: Lee Mason
Attendance: * 2271 Man Utd fans