Manchester United have made their quest for Champions League football next season even harder after they failed to pick up points against a relegation-battling Everton side in an embarrassing defeat.
The race for the top four took a blow as four of the five teams in contention failed to take any points home.
Manchester United, Arsenal, West Ham United and Wolves all lost, while Tottenham Hotspur built a three-point gap in fourth as they dismantled Aston Villa at the weekend.
Perhaps the worst defeat of the lot was Man United’s who were shut out at Goodison Park as the struggling Toffees managed to walk away 1-0 winners thanks to a 27th-minute deflected goal from academy graduate Anthony Gordon.
Despite having the majority of the ball, 67.5%, the Red Devils failed to do much with the ball as they could only muster four shots on target during the 90 minutes. One player who has been seen at fault for the loss was midfielder Paul Pogba, who did not make the starting lineup and was forced to replace an injured Fred in the 36th minute.
Talking on TalkSport’s GameDay podcast, broadcaster Sam Matterface blasted Pogba for his poor performance and questioned whether the Frenchman should have seen the game through.
He said: “Pogba looked more determined to get sent off than he did to actually affect the game in a positive way. I mean, he was very lucky. He was very lucky that Jon Moss was being sensible in the way he handled him.”
TIF Thoughts on Paul Pogba’s performances…
Pogba’s time at Manchester United has been a turbulent one, to say the least. He has regularly been criticised by pundits for his performances in a United team that has not got anywhere close to the level they were once at under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
During the Everton game, Pogba failed to impress, managing just one shot and making no successful tackles in his 55 minutes of game time, while also picking up a yellow card (FBRef).
In what looks to be his final season in Manchester, he has missed 16 games through injury and suspension, while in his 18 appearances, he has only managed one goal and nine assists – with four of them coming in the opening game of the season against Leeds United (Transfermarkt).
Considering all of the above, it would make sense if Pogba and United were to look to move on after his return in 2016 from Juventus. There are a number of possible teams on the lookout for the World Cup winner’s signature, and maybe a move away from the demanding Premier League would do his career a world of good.