Manchester United defeated Sheffield United, who are now at the bottom of the Premier League table, 4-2 at home on Wednesday to get back to winning ways.

The Red Devils, who trailed twice, did not have an easy ride. After an error by Andre Onana, Jayden Bogle gave the Blades the lead. Seven minutes later, Harry Maguire levelled with an incredible flicked header.

Harry, Man, United, Bruno, Fernandes
Ben Brereton Diaz gave Sheffield United another five-minute lead early in the second half. But Rasmus Hojlund’s poacher’s finish and two goals from Bruno Fernandes—one from the penalty spot and the other a fantastic long-range effort—sealed the three points for United.

Just over 24 hours after making history by scoring twice against Manchester City to help the U18s win the Premier League Cup final, 18-year-old Ethan Wheatley became the 250th academy graduate to play for United’s main squad.


But even though the game at Old Trafford ended up being unforgettable, one Red Devils starter had a miserable day and was replaced early in the second half.

Numbers from Antony’s match against Sheffield United
This man is named Antony, and he was replaced by Amad after a mere 55 minutes. For the Brazilian, who has battled notably this season and has not really found his feet at Old Trafford, it was undoubtedly a difficult night. This season, he has only managed one assist and no goals in the Premier League.

Sheffield United vs. Antony Man
In his post-match evaluations, Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News even awarded Antony a dismal 4/10. According to his explanation, Antony had “little end product despite some reasonable openings,” which is undoubtedly supported by his game statistics.

The winger had two shoots, but only one of them was on target, according to Sofascore. He also only finished 50% of his dribbles, or two in total. The 24-year-old was dribbled past twice, lost possession 13 times (one every four minutes), and only won three of his 11 duels. It was again another disappointing performance.


Considering his performance the previous evening, Antony’s substitution shortly before the hour mark was not shocking. The prospect of another chance for Amad, who has only had a few since his FA Cup exploits against Liverpool in the quarterfinal, would undoubtedly have delighted United supporters as well.

Amad’s game vs Sheffield United
Unfortunately, Ivorian winger Amad has only played in three games—including Wednesday’s matchup against the Blades—since he scored United’s FA Cup victory last month. Having said that, he made another impression on the game with the unique chance that was presented to him.

The former Atalanta player completed 17/18 of his passes with a 94% pass accuracy in under 35 minutes, despite only having 28 touches. Even though Amad had trouble off the ball—winning only two duels—he displayed remarkable tight control by swerving in and out of Sheffield United defenders as soon as he entered the pitch, giving United a chance in the box.

Amad, Diallo, Gardeno, and Eriksen
In light of Antony’s subsequent disappointing performance against Chris Wilder’s team, this might be a significant chance for Diallo to establish himself as a more consistent starter for United.

Alejandro Garnacho moved to the left side due to Marcus Rashford’s injury, and if that is the case against Burnley on Saturday afternoon, Erik ten Hag may choose to start the youthful attacker for the first time this year.

Whatever the case, United supporters will be clamouring for more from Amad. In the FA Cup quarterfinal and in his few previous outings this season, he demonstrated to them precisely what he is capable of. He possesses a high football IQ and is an excellent dribbler. He has what it takes to succeed at Old Trafford, as he demonstrated against Sheffield United and in previous games.

The Red Devils’ next game is a 3 p.m. match at Burnley on Saturday, followed by a few challenging games to close off the season, including a home match against Arsenal. Naturally, all of this is leading up to the FA Cup final, which takes place the following month, where they will try to avenge last year’s loss to Manchester City.