Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Arsenal saw some Red Devils stars shine at Old Trafford as they came close to beating the Premier League's second-placed outfit - but Samuel Luckhurst took time to criticise Diogo Dalot for being 'berated' by the Theatre of Dreams crowd.
United were slow to start against the Gunners, almost going 1-0 down in the early minutes after a mix-up between Casemiro and Matthijs de Ligt - however, Bruno Fernandes' free-kick on the stroke of half-time put them one to the good. Although Arsenal came back with Declan Rice's whipped strike, it was a solid performance from the Red Devils, but Dalot wasn't at his best.
Dalot 'Berated' by Man Utd Crowd as Luckhurst Gives Low Rating
The defender wasn't adventurous enough going forward in an end-to-end game
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Although he produced a superb cross that Noussair Mazraoui couldn't turn home thanks to a superb David Raya save, Dalot was wayward with his passing and crossing for the most part - and after groans emerged from the home support for passing backwards, Luckhurst wrote that the Portuguese wing-back 'offered little else'.
Diogo Dalot's Premier League statistics - Man Utd squad ranking
Stats
Appearances
Assists
Key Passes Per Game
Clearances Per Game
Interceptions Per Game
Match rating
Writing in the Manchester Evening News with his player ratings, Luckhurst gave Dalot a five - despite giving two players an eight on an entertaining evening in the north. He said:
"Berated by the crowd twice in the first half for risk-aversive backward passes but later crossed perfectly for Mazraoui's chance. Offered little else. 5."
In Dalot's defence, he is playing on the wrong side of the midfield four. Naturally a right-sided player, Patrick Dorgu's suspension means that he was drafted back in, especially given that Tyrell Malacia has joined PSV Eindhoven and Luke Shaw is injured once again. However, he was put into start over youngster Harry Amass, who has a lot of potential and saw himself on the bench against Mikel Arteta's side thanks to United's growing list of injuries.
If the Portuguese star can be reverted to the right-hand side of midfield, he could shine once again, having been one of United's most consistent stars in recent years. However, Mazraoui had a superb game, and there will be competition for those spaces under Ruben Amorim which the Moroccan seems to be edging ahead with under the Portuguese tactician, ahead of a huge summer transfer window.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 09-03-25.
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