There’s not much about the modern-day Manchester United that truly honours the memory of Sir Bobby Charlton. With uncertainty off the pitch and mediocrity on it, this club has drifted a long way from the institution he helped to build.
As Erik ten Hag’s side laboured to victory against bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United last night, just hours after news of Charlton’s passing, it was impossible not to make comparisons with this United and the great teams of old.
It’s not as if they are lacking in effort. Goodness knows they needed enough of that in the face of a ferocious challenge from the Blades. Clubs still raise their game when United are in town, and this was one such occasion.
It’s quality that United are short of these days. The quality that can make games like these considerably more comfortable.
A fortnight ago, Ten Hag had to rely on Scott McTominay’s late double as his team came from behind to beat Brentford. Here, at Bramall Lane, he had another unlikely hero in Diogo Dalot.
McTominay had scored his third goal in two games and then conceded a penalty that allowed Oli McBurnie to equalise from the spot when Dalot got his opportunity in the 77th minute.
Sofyan Amrabat worked the ball down the left flank where Victor Lindelof was up in support of Alejandro Garnacho. Lindelof fed it back to Dalot 25 yards from goal and the Portugal international immediately took aim with a curling right-foot strike that sailed beyond Wes Foderingham who could only help the ball on its way into the top corner.
So Ten Hag has back-to-back wins after a turgid start to the season. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t pretty against Brentford either. But his players came through an emotionally charged night against opponents who were fired up to make life hard for them despite their limitations.
Let’s not forget that Paul Heckingbottom’s injury-hit side have just one point from their opening nine games. Only Leicester City have survived in the top-flight after a start as bad as this, and that was 40 years ago.
His players threw everything they had at United. Harry Maguire, in particular, rose to the challenge. The former Blade, once again playing alongside Jonny Evans in central defence, picked himself up after being flattened by Vinicius Souza in the first half to produce a man-of-the-match performance.
It was good to see Maguire being applauded by both sets of fans afterwards. Whatever the future holds for him at United, he has faced far too much unfair criticism. Andre Onana will feel a good deal better for his performance too.
But this was never going to be festival of football, and Ten Hag was relieved to get through a difficult night at the end of a difficult day.
‘The first half wasn’t up to the standard of Sir Bobby Charlton but the second half was a bit better,’ said the United manager.
‘A legend and a giant has passed away. I went to some players and they got some inspiration from it and wanted to mark it. It was extra motivation for us, absolutely.’
McTominay fired United in front just before the half hour mark. The move began when Antony’s cross evaded Foderingham and Marcus Rashford retrieved the ball out on the left. It was fed to Bruno Fernandes who dinked a pass towards the penalty spot.
McTominay showed good strength to hold off Oliver Norwood who went sprawling in the box, and there were shades of his first goal against Brentford as waited for the ball to drop before meeting with a volley. It wasn’t the cleanest of connections but that actually helped to wrong-foot Foderingham as it bobbled into the net.
United’s lead didn’t last for more than six minutes, though, as McTominay undid his good work by conceding a needless penalty.
James McAtee crossed from the right and United’s No.39 seemed to move his left arm towards the ball and then try to get it out of the way again. It clearly hit him on the arm and referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot.
VAR official John Brooks had no objections despite having a long look at it, and McBurnie stepped up to smash his penalty off the inside of Onana’s right-hand post.
The Cameroon keeper made four good saves – one from McBurnie, another from substitute Rhian Brewster and two from Cameron Archer.
Foderingham denied Hojlund who also failed to connect from a couple of yards out after Rashford guided Antony’s exquisite far-post cross back across goal. Rashford side-footed wide in front of goal in the second half.
Fernandes clipped the top of the bar with a free kick before half-time and Amrabat rattled the post from 25 yards in the second half.
When Dalot was presented with a chance from a similar position 13 minutes from time, he didn’t hesitate to go for goal, much to the delight of the United fans camped behind it.
‘There’s only Bobby Charlton’ they sang as the red smoke of a flare drifted up into the night.