Manchester United were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw against Watford at Old Trafford in the Premier League, despite the abundance of chances they had.
It first looked to be a promising night for the hosts, as Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post early on, but as the first half went by with only one shot on target from 10 attempts, it looked to be one of those nights.
The second half saw more of the same, with United’s best chance coming in the 56th minute when Anthony Elanga, who scored the equaliser mid-week against Atletico Madrid, had the opportunity to put his side ahead. A great flick from Paul Pogba landed straight into the teenager’s pathway but his shot went just wide.
It continued to be a frusturating night for Manchester United as later on, Elanga himself got in the way and managed to block Ronaldo’s own shot from close range.
Watford, who had 33% possession, were happy to let United control the game, as long as they didn’t concede. Defensively, they sat deep, and attempted to clear any of United’s loose balls. Ben Foster, who made three saves, was constantly vocal in organizing his backline, which included Samir and Craig Cathcart, who had a total of 12 clearances combined. The visitor’s best chance of the game came in stoppage time when Ismaila Sarr got on the end of the clearance and attempted to curl it in from just outside the penalty box, only for the ball to go wide.
Next weekend, United will look to put this match behind them and prove a point as they head to the Etihad for the Manchester Derby. They still sit in fourth, but Arsenal are now two points behind them, with three games in hand.
This point is huge for Watford, but the task of avoiding relegation does not get much easier. They sit in 19th and are three points away from safety. They’ll be hoping for a similar result next weekend when they host the Gunners.