Manchester United fans do have reason to be positive after a FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City full of twists and turns.
For 70 minutes, it couldn’t have gone any better, with Manchester United 3-0 up. Everything which followed was akin to a nightmare unfolding.
It was like a spell had been put on Manchester United, who snapped out of it just in time, during the penalty shootout to emerge victorious.
We have VAR to thank too, and that late offside will be scrutinised for days to come no doubt. Yet all that shouldn’t detract from some of the impressive individual performances, and few players were better at Wembley than Harry Maguire.
Harry Maguire steps up against Coventry
One player who did perform well against Coventry City was centre-back Harry Maguire.
Manchester United needed him to, with Willy Kambwala joining Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans on the treatment table.
Maguire had to play alongside a barely mobile Casemiro, and played a blinder, despite his side conceding three goals.
At the right end, Maguire scored a fantastic header to put United 2-0 up, powering in a corner from Bruno Fernandes.
He dribbled the ball forward up the pitch and tried to influence the game, playing with real personality and determination to try and get his side over the line. With United under real pressure as the game went on, Maguire did not shy away, he embraced it.
Here is a look at his numbers across the 120 minutes…
- 124 Touches
- 88% Pass Accuracy
- 11 Clearances
- 2 Blocks
- 8 Duels won
- 1 Goal
- 1 Chance Created
- READ MORE: Manchester United Player Wages 2023/24
Maguire late play for player of the season
Harry Maguire was the winner in the United In Focus man of the match poll via Whatapp, amassing more than 60 per cent of the vote.
The centre-back might be forcing his way into the mix among the player of the season contenders too.
Let’s face it, there really aren’t many, amid this difficult campaign for Erik ten Hag’s side.
Youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo are both in contention, that’s for sure. Diogo Dalot is also in the mix due to his consistency across the course of the season.
Recent improvement from goalkeeper Andre Onana should also warrant him at least a cursory mention too.
Well, so should Harry Maguire, who won the Premier League player of the month back in November, and has been the team’s most reliable centre-back.
Given the unreliability of others, it may not say much, but it should count for something. A big performance like this in the final to help United beat City, and Maguire will be a hero.