Manchester United won on penalties but were held to a 1-1 draw by Fiorentina in their final pre-season friendly as Bryan Mbeumo shone the brightest amid a lacklustre attacking unit.
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United endured a nightmare start at Old Trafford as Fiorentina struck inside the opening 10 minutes. A corner delivered from the right was met by an unmarked Sohm, who calmly guided the ball past Altay Bayindir into the bottom corner. The lapse in marking left United’s defence red-faced, with head coach Ruben Amorim visibly frustrated on the touchline. Their attacking shortcomings were once again evident, with Mason Mount deployed as a false nine. Previous experiments with Matheus Cunha in a similar capacity, notably against Everton, failed to deliver the desired impact, and the former Chelsea man also struggled in that position.
Most of their attacking threat came from set-pieces, and in the 25th minute, they found the equaliser after Robin Gosens bundled the ball into his own net under pressure from Leny Yoro and Casemiro. Fiorentina were fuming as they felt the goal should have been disallowed for some prior shirt-pulling, but the referee waved away their grievances.
In midfield, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes found it difficult to stamp their authority on proceedings, with United’s build-up often breaking down under Fiorentina’s pressure. The lack of cohesion between the lines left the side looking disjointed, and possession was squandered too easily in dangerous areas.
Amorim did not make any changes in the second half and Fiorentina once again came out all guns blazing. The Red Devils were lucky to see Sohm denied by the crossbar in the 51st minute as the visitors kept persevering to take the lead. The Portuguese manager needed to tweak tactically, and he shifted to a 4-2-3-1 with Mbeumo upfront and Mount in a more traditional No.10 role. This made United gain some more composure on the ball as Cunha and Casemiro tested David De Gea with a couple of stinging efforts from range. However, the two teams could not be separated after regulation time, and the match headed to penalties. De Gea was taken off, and the United faithful gave him a huge round of applause as the keeper walked off the pitch after making a few crucial saves against his former team.
After a brief pause, penalties ensued. With the scores tied at 4-4, Altay Bayindir denied Fabiano Parisi and Kobbie Mainoo held his nerve to score the fifth as United lifted the Snapdragon Cup.
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New signing Mbeumo was the brightest spark on Saturday afternoon. The striker kept the centre backs on their toes, linked up well with Amad Diallo, and a couple of sleek give-and-goes with Matheus Cunha were a treat for the fans. He spent 73 minutes on the pitch, and a goal would have been the icing on the cake. Mount also deserves a mention as the England international put in a massive work rate and tried to give his best, both as a false nine and a No.10.
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Before kick-off, Benjamin Sesko was presented as the latest signing to the United faithful. However, the Slovenian played no part in the proceedings and took his seat in the VIP box. Whereas, Cunha had an ordinary outing on his Old Trafford bow. The Brazilian huffed and puffed, had a shot that went wide, but failed to bring the desired impact. He was deployed as typical No.9 after Mbeumo was taken off with Mount and Amad behind him, but the former Wolves striker could not find the winner.
ONES TO WATCH
Ayden Heaven was given a start by Amorim, and the youngster did not disappoint. He did a tidy job in a back three, kept the likes of Edin Dzeko and Moise Kean under check and went up during set-pieces to help his teammates. he suffered an injury scare around the 70th minute, but upon receiving some treatment, he shrugged off the knock.