Huddersfield Town are out of the FA Cup after losing to 2-0 against Manchester United. The performance was good, but Town didn’t have the bit of luck or quality that they needed to capitalise on dominating the game.
The scoreline makes it look like a comfortable win, but we made life uncomfortable for the opposition for long periods.
Lössl – 6 out of 10
For the first goal, he showed too much of his near post to Lukaku, and a striker of his quality will always take advantage of such generosity. He had little to do apart from the goals but did come off his line smartly at one stage and distributed the ball well.
Kongolo – 8 out of 10
He looks like a classy player, even when playing against the highest level of opposition. Always composed on the ball and timed his tackles well. I think he’s more of a centre-back than a left-back, but he did a good job.
Löwe’s injury and Malone’s erratic defending have meant it’s been very useful to have another option in this position. Kongolo would suit a three at the back system, but our recent improvement in form has coincided with playing 4-2-3-1. He may have to settle for playing left-back for now.
Schindler – 7 out of 10
It’s not something I’ve said often this season, but Schindler was at fault for a goal in this game. He did well to track Lukaku for the first goal but looked flat footed and was made to look a bit silly by the Belgian. This was an £80m striker though, so it’s understandable that a £1.8m defender might not be perfect in every situation.
It’s hard to give Schindler a bad score though because he was otherwise excellent. He made a lot of good one-on-one tackles, headed balls clear and started off attacks with clever passes. He’s still an excellent player even if he’s capable of putting a foot wrong occasionally.
Zanka – 7 out of 10
Had a good game despite getting caught out by Lukaku’s movement for the first goal. Looked assured on the ball and played some very good passes. His distribution has been criticised at times this season, but it seems to have improved lately.
Hadergjonaj – 8 out of 10
Another player that’s improved a lot in the last few games. Busy down the right-hand side, balanced keeping Sanchez quiet with occasional sprints down the flank to deliver decent crosses into the box.
He deserved an assist for the exceptional whipped ball he played across the box which Ince stubbed wide.
Williams – 8 out of 10
A great performance, making headlines for the right reasons after the controversy surrounding his “wardrobe malfunction” last week. His driving runs through the centre helped to push Town forward and made space for the players around him.
His range of passing was impressive too, spreading the ball wide to involve the wingers and fullbacks. His energy and drive are valuable assets and he’s not scared of a tackle either.
Billing – 8 out of 10
I think Big Phil plays better in the games against the best teams, particularly if it’s on TV. While this doesn’t say much about his attitude it does show that the ability is there. He worked hard, showed composure on the ball, and it feels like a matter of time before he scores a thunderbolt goal with his left foot.
Quaner – 7 out of 10
Started very strongly, blustering forward at every opportunity and could have scored with a snapshot in the opening minutes. He ran out of steam as the game went on and seemed a little out of his depth. Luke Shaw looked vulnerable at times on Manchester’s left, but Quaner didn’t have the quality to really test him.
Ince – 5 out of 10
You could say that he did well to be on the end of two of Town’s best chances because his movement got him in those positions. Which is fine, but he didn’t finish either of them. Pritchard being cup-tied meant he was given another chance at number 10, but he wasn’t particularly effective in that role.
van La Parra – 5 out of 10
I don’t remember much about him in this game, other than grumbling to myself about how he slows our attacks down when he receives the ball and wanders around with it for a bit.
Mounié – 6 out of 10
Looked far more lively and worked to put pressure on Manchester United’s back line. Unfortunately, he came up against Chris Smalling on a day when he was at his best, so wasn’t able to get much change from the opposition defence.
Nearly pulled off an audacious bicycle kick in the dying moments, but wasn’t able to steer it on target.
Substitutes
Malone – 6 out of 10
Added more attacking threat when he replaced Kongolo, at the expense of losing some of our defensive shape. He got forward regularly but he often took up similar positions to van La Parra and they got in each other’s way.
Smith – 6 out of 10
Steady but unspectacular return to the team after a spell out with a concussion. Earlier in the season he was the first-choice right-back but now I think he’s going to have to play second fiddle to Hadergjonaj.
Sabiri – N/A
Not on for long, but nearly scored with his first touch. His leap to get on the end of the ball was great, but he should have directed the ball better with his head. Still looks like he wants more space than top-quality defences will allow him.
I live in Spain so have to make do with a poor quality tv transmission unless we’re on BT or sky. Look forward to reading your reports, keep up the good work.
Steve