1. A definite contender for the least enjoyable game of the season. Based on the performance, we can count ourselves lucky. We granted the Canaries enough chances to cause an upset but thanks to poor finishing, particularly from Steve Morison, that wasn’t the case. We found it difficult to create real chances in the first half because Norwich quickly got their men behind the ball whenever they lost possession. It was the result we wanted, but an improvement in performance is needed after the international break.
2. It was incredibly frustrating to watch players misplace so many passes throughout the game. Anderson, who has looked like a lost sheep without Tom Cleverley, was just careless. He tends to make football much more complicated than it actually is. I’m not the biggest fan of the Anderson and Fletcher combo, but Ferguson went ahead with it today. And from where I was seated, it didn’t look a bit convincing. Like Ando, I cannot wait until Cleverley is back fit.
3. Phil Jones was partnered by Jonny Evans in defense. Both did well but when it came to winning balls in the air, they slacked. This is where, in my opinion, we miss Nemanja Vidic the most. Norwich tested the young lads a number of times with long balls. If it wasn’t for their poor finishing, people would be ranting on about how poor these two lads were.
4. David de Gea was rested on the bench, therefore, Anders Lindegaard got the nod. The Danish goalkeeper doesn’t stand a chance when it comes to comparing distribution, but he’s an incredible shot stopper. He looks a lot bigger too. Although, there was a few nervy moments in the game when he didn’t look too convincing.
5. The Norwich fans came and provided a few laughs singing: “We’ve come for our scarves, we’ve come for our scarves. We’re Norwich City, we’ve come for our scarves.” The club’s official Twitter account also thanked United supporters from the Stretford End for staying behind to applaud Paul Lambert and his players down the tunnel.
6. Danny Welbeck seems to score whenever he plays. The England international replaced Javier Hernandez in the second half, and immediately made an impact linking up well with the players surrounding him. His recent form surely deserves a few starts – maybe against Liverpool in two weeks?
