Manchester United were heavy underdogs going into this Saturday’s Manchester derby, with Erik ten Hag’s men struggling to keep up with Aston Villa’s pace in the race for a Champions League finish.
Last weekend’s defeat to Fulham really left a mark after it looked like the side had turned a corner with four straight Premier League wins.
It hasn’t affected the Reds this week, however, with Marcus Rashford giving his side an early lead with a stunning effort from 25 yards.
City were piling the pressure on increasingly as the first half went on and Erling Haaland, who scored a hat-trick in this fixture last year, has made half-time headlines for all the right reasons from a United perspective.
With just minutes remaining of the first half, the Norwegian striker was handed the perfect chance to equalise and potentially kickstart a comeback.
HOW has Haaland missed that? 😮 pic.twitter.com/W4bvNsfwto
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 3, 2024
Footage courtesy of Sky Sports Premier League
The ball was headed into his path but despite having an open goal and shooting from a yard out, the former Borussia Dortmund star somehow missed, as seen above.