Manchester United’s night in Madrid was effectively decided before most supporters had settled into their seats, and it only got worse from there.
The Atletico Madrid side beat United 2-0 at the Metropolitano in the Champions League, with Pablo Barrios scoring inside the first minute. The Atletico Madrid Manchester United tie never really recovered for the visitors after that.
Barrios strikes, Yoro sees red
Barrios finished low after a move that started with a pass from Alex Baena. United held on for long periods and Atletico had a Johnny Cardoso goal ruled out before half-time, when VAR showed the ball had struck Marcos Llorente’s hand in the build-up.
The game turned for good in the 70s. Leny Yoro was sent off after a VAR review for bringing down Jonathan David as the last defender, a decision some viewed as harsh.
Atletico’s extra man told within minutes. Goalkeeper Senne Lammens saved David’s effort, and Ademola Lookman tapped in the rebound in the 79th minute to seal it.
Pressure grows on Michael Carrick
The Atletico Madrid Manchester United defeat stretches the visitors’ winless run to five games in all competitions, on top of a poor domestic start. The questions around coach Michael Carrick will only get louder.
United have struggled to turn decent spells into points, and this was another night of small errors becoming big ones. Even the early goal, which involved a deflection off Ayden Heaven, felt like part of a pattern.
United have also lost to Manchester City this season, so the dressing room will need a quick reset.
Atletico’s control of the second half, with the extra man, was never seriously threatened. That reset starts this weekend for United, when they face Leeds in the Premier League. In Europe, they must find a way to stop the slide before the Champions League league phase becomes a scramble for qualification places.
