The Premier League winter break concluded for Manchester United with a 2-0 win over Chelsea.
Frank Lampard’s side were denied twice by VAR as the Red Devils closed in on the top-four thanks to goals from Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire.
Garth Crooks named the following XI as his team of the week: Alisson, Alderweireld, Van Dijk, Soyuncu, Wan-Bissaka, Bernard, Doucoure, Pepe, Son, C-Lewin, Richarlison.
Before explaining his reasons for selecting Wan-Bissaka for his performance against the Blues, Crooks touched on whether Harry Maguire should have been sent off for kicking out at Michy Batshuayi.
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“If ever a game was full of errors by the officials, then Chelsea v Manchester United was it,” Crooks wrote in his BBC Sport column. “Should Harry Maguire have been on the pitch? Not in my book and that’s the reason he’s not in the my team of the week. And why Fred wasn’t judged to have pushed Azpilicueta, who in turn pushed Brandon Williams, when Chelsea’s goal was disallowed I will never know.”
The match itself lacked quality and, although we won and took three points, neither team performed brilliantly.
Wan-Bissaka was singled out for his performance, with Crooks adding: “The only speck of genuine quality in an otherwise ordinary match was Wan-Bissaka’s wonderful cross for Anthony Martial to score. Wan-Bissaka was also responsible for the most fantastic block on Pedro. The former Crystal Palace defender is starting to look a much better player with the ball at his feet.”
For all the criticism he received for his play in the final third, it was great to see Wan-Bissaka pop up with an assist for Martial last night, and he’s definitely improved going forward since arriving in the summer.
The young full-back has two assists this season and needs one more to match his tally of three with Crystal Palace last term.
