Matheus Cunha: Man United star was abysmal against West Ham | OneFootball

Matheus Cunha produced his worst performance in a Manchester United shirt as the Red Devils returned another disappointing result against West Ham at Old Trafford tonight.

A Dismal Draw

Despite having the chance to climb the table after their rivals dropped points, Ruben Amorim’s side began the match in a ponderous fashion.

This improved as the first half wore on, though chances were few and far between, with Bruno Fernandes’ scissor kick the closest United came to scoring.

Diogo Dalot produced a predatory finish reminiscent of a seasoned number nine after the interval to put his side 1-0 up. But a lackadaisical approach to close out the game, from the head coach and his players in equal measure, gave West Ham an opportunity to snatch a point.

Set-pieces have been United’s secret weapon this season – but it proved their kryptonite tonight as a poorly defended corner let the Hammers level proceedings, through Soungoutou Magassa’s well-taken finish, after Noussair Mazraoui’s goal-line block fell to the French midfielder.

United were poor with a host of sub-standard performances across the team, outside of Senne Lammens, Bruno Fernandes and Amad.

But there was no player, for either team, who was as poor as Cunha, with the 26-year-old attacker arguably West Ham’s Man of the Match in the first half – and little improvement in the second before he was hooked in place of Mason Mount.

The Theatre of Nightmares

Cunha has missed the last two games after suffering a serious head injury in training. Concussion protocol was followed, and the Brazil international was ruled out against Everton and Crystal Palace.

And there was a strong feeling that the team desperately missed the talismanic attacker, with Amorim admitting as much earlier in the week. After tonight’s showing, that thought needs to be reconsidered.

Cunha was terrible, from the first minute until the 77th when he was, finally to Old Trafford’s relief, substituted – but he should have been hooked far before this point.

He finished with a 69% pass completion rate, with zero key passes and an xA (expected assist) of 0.04, three shots – with three shots off target – and lost the ball 18 times. Defensively, he won three out of 11 duels in the air and on the ground, and made zero tackles, clearances, interceptions or blocks.

Matheus Cunha: Statistics vs Burnley

All statistics provided by Sofa Score

But the statistics do not even tell the full picture of just poor Cunha was, because they omit how often these 18 times he surrendered possession brought United’s attacks to a standstill.

The team continued to look towards their £62.5 million summer signing as the big-money and high-profile attacking talisman he is – or, rather, should be. But every time he touched the ball, he took the wrong decision, often dribbling into blind alleys or misplacing the simplest of passes.

There has been murmuring criticism that Cunha has not been decision enough in the final third to justify his capture from Wolverhampton Wanderers. His all-round play – as demonstrated by the brilliant display against Liverpool at Anfield – has often been excellent, however, and quietened this critique.

Tonight, in a game United desperately needed their attackers to step up and produce a win, Cunha offered nothing positive, in any area of the pitch. He will need to bounce back sharpish for the trip to his former home, Molineux, as the Red Devils face Wolves on Monday night with anything less than three points an unacceptable return.

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images

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