Ralf Rangnick labels Man Utd ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ after home victory; provides Varane update
Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has called his team ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ after their 2-0 win against Brighton.
United were under huge pressure after drawing their last two Premier League games 1-1, against Burnley and Southampton respectively.
They failed to impress in the first half, with Jadon Sancho missing a guilt-edged chance early on. The Red Devils could have gone behind before half-time if it weren’t for David de Gea. He pulled off a magnificent save to deny Jakub Moder’s 39th-minute header.
Rangnick’s team talk clearly worked as United were much better after the interval, even if it didn’t last for the full 90 minutes.
Scott McTominay harried Yves Bissouma and found Cristiano Ronaldo, who bagged the opener with a venomous strike. That ended his run of six games without a goal.
Brighton went down to 10 men not long afterwards as Lewis Dunk fouled Anthony Elanga when the youngster was through on goal.
United gradually tired and Moder hit the crossbar in the 78th minute. But the win was secured in stoppage time as Bruno Fernandes made it 2-0 after a swift counter attack.
During a post-match interview with BBC Sport, Rangnick said: “First half was Mr Hyde, second half Dr Jekyll and for a change it (the result) was different. In the end it was important to get the three points against an in form team. Brighton are very possession based, full of confidence and we had to take more risks in the second half, it paid off.
“We scored the goal and got the red card for Lewis Dunk with a brilliant interception from Anthony Elanga. It should have been 3-0, 4-0 after 75 minutes but there is a bit of lack of assuredness in front of goal.
“We realised that they had too often possession of the ball and could only intercept in few situations. Should we change to a formation to back three? We decided to stick to 4-2-3-1 with more risk and it paid off.
“In the first 10 minutes of the second half we had more success moments and it raised the crowd, they were not moaning and were getting behind the team. I can understand if it feels to them like Brighton have 60% possession, that is not what they want to see.”
Ralf Rangnick talks de Gea, Varane
When asked about de Gea’s performance, Rangnick added: “In the last 10-12 games, that has happened a few times. Brilliant save from Jakub Moder and that is why we have one one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”
Centre-back Raphael Varane withdrew from the match shortly before kick-off due to illness. On the Frenchman, Rangnick said: “On the way from the hotel after dinner and team meeting, he had stomach problems. We were hoping to get rid of it with medication but he did not feel well and that is why we played with Victor Lindelof instead.
“Very important after three draws. This was highly important and another intense game coming up against Leeds, high speed football for 95 minutes and we need to recover and be in form for Elland Road on Sunday.”
de Gea ‘very happy’ after victory
United goalkeeper de Gea added: “It is great always when you have the three points especially after we draw the last few games. We are all very happy.
“We knew that Brighton is one of the teams that play very well with the ball, press very good and for me it is a very good team. We started the second half better, we scored the goal, they went a man down but a big three points and the performance was there.”
On his save to deny Moder in the first half, de Gea said: “It great to be honest, a very difficult one. In that moment it was a big save because we kept a clean sheet. This is what we want in this moment, [to] keep compact defensively. It was a great save to be honest.
“The message (at half-time) was that we are playing at home and we pressed high in the second half. We controlled the game after the red card and there was a five minute spell when they came back.”
“We should be fighting for more things than the top four, but that is the reality. There are many teams fighting for the same position and with the quality we have we should win a lot of points.”
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