Manchester United’s inability to finish any of their countless chances was near-comedic and ultimately costly. Against a Watford side with one league win since November, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were the chief culprits, both missing when it appeared easier to score.
For Watford a point is welcome succour in their fight against relegation. In contrast the draw is a deep frustration for Ralf Rangnick considering how dominant United were. Their unbeaten run stretches to 11 but this should have been a precious three points in the race for Champions League qualification.
At the final whistle boos rang out around Old Trafford as the home supporters vented their ire at United’s toothlessness.
Rangnick said: “It feels like two points dropped. We did everything apart from scoring. We had enough chances in both halves to win that game, but we didn’t and, not for the first time, we dropped two points in a very important game.”
Rangnick was pressed why, exactly, United lacked ruthlessness. “Difficult to say,” he said. “Our job as coaches is to help the team create enough chances. If we only had two or three opportunities in the game, we could ask ourselves what we can do to create more, but the number of clear chances we had has to be enough to win a game like this.”
Ronaldo was first to be listed in the file marked “profligacy”, pulling a trademark pout after he rebounded an effort off Ben Foster’s right post. Then, Fernandes had a shot blocked and Anthony Elanga, chosen ahead of Marcus Rashford, blasted over.
Fernandes erred again at the end of a slick move. Elanga received the ball from Nemanja Matic and fed Ronaldo whose backheel was taken by the young Swede. He passed to Fernandes yet from close range the latter’s attempt was too close to Foster.
United were a red swarm over the Hornets. Alex Telles, preferred to Luke Shaw, found Ronaldo who swept home only for it to be ruled offside. Watford could not get a grip on the contest and when Fernandes ghosted towards the near post and connected with Paul Pogba’s delivery they should have fallen behind but United’s captain volleyed wide.
Ronaldo was as mobile as he has been since his return to Old Trafford and after Aaron Wan‑Bissaka prodded the ball through the centre‑forward rounded Foster and found the head of Fernandes who, once again, spurned the opportunity.
An alarm for United came when Matic inadvertently passed to Ismaïla Sarr who recycled the ball to Emmanuel Dennis but when Joshua King ran in Victor Lindelöf stuck a boot out and United escaped.
Before kick-off Rangnick and his players displayed a poster that read “peace” in several languages, with Watford joining them for a group photo, an idea suggested by the German.
Rangnick had left out Harry Maguire, Shaw, Jadon Sancho and Rashford from Wednesday’s draw at Atlético Madrid, citing how this was a third game in six days as the reason: an interesting move given his side’s ongoing shakiness during their unbeaten run.
Win and the 63-year-old would be vindicated but as the second half started the contest was goalless. United are vulnerable under the high ball and this was illustrated when David de Gea failed to come for a Tom Cleverley corner and was fortunate to see the ball bounce away to safety.
United’s response was a Matic chip to Pogba but all he could engineer was a cross-shot that went wide. Elanga, impressive throughout, nearly broke the deadlock when he latched on to a cute flick from Pogba but from close range his radar was awry.
United continued to take turns to miss. Ronaldo was unable to beat Foster from yards out, before Elanga and Fernandes had the same problem. Sancho, a second half replacement, shaped inside and let fly but missed.
In added time, Sarr nearly performed a late smash-and-grab but his 30-yard shot sailed wide.
Roy Hodgson said: “The desire they [his players] showed means we go away from here with a point.”
Next up for United in the league are Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool: a sequence that underlines why this result could prove even more significant.
