We were undone by individual errors. Again. Lloris, as I mentioned after the City game, is having his annus horribilis, where everything just goes against him. Last year, opponents were unnerved by him and his speed when rushing out of goal: this year, they've adapted to handle him, as evidenced by not one but two United players always rushing to close him down when he had the ball (due to the hope that he would scramble away a poor kick like he did against City) and Welbeck waiting for him to rush out and trying to go around him rather than shoot at him. Walker was great, barring one awful error. Chiriches was great, barring some heart-stopping moments of indecision. And on, and on, and on.
Why we make such elementary errors, why we lose concentration so easily (see Rooney's opportunistic movement versus Walker's astonishment at the ball coming to him, causing that confused back-flick that led to Rooney's goal), I do not know. What I do know is that they are costing us, one way or another. Either the system works well (very rarely, like today) and the players let themselves down, or the system works badly and the players also let themselves down (see City), leading to a disaster. Either way, it prevents us fully realizing our potential.
Sigh. Good point, all things considered. Should have been three, though. And this is, I feel, just a stay of execution for AVB: Six points absolutely, positively, uncompromisingly needed from Fulham and Sunderland. Anything less and I can see Levy getting itchy fingers, which is a shame.
At least the team fought hard and did their duty to the shirt, and at least we finally got a little spark out of Soldado, even if it wasn't much in the overall scheme of things.
Onwards and upwards.
(P.S: Taking off Lennon, who was comfortably roasting Evra, and putting on Townsend, who proceeded to give the ball away, take several exceedingly heavy touches and cut-back onto his left-foot to cross (granting Vidic and co. all the time in the world to adjust their position) was baffling, the one bad decision by AVB today. Townsend could have been useful, but on the left, not the right.)