‘Threw the towel in’ – Man Utd legends slam ‘shameful’ Red Devils vs City
Roy Keane and Gary Neville have slammed the Man Utd team for their “shameful” second-half display in Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to Man City.
The Red Devils performed well in the opening 45 minutes and were perhaps unlucky to go into the break 2-1 down.
16 Conclusions: Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United
Former Man Utd captain Keane delivered a scathing assessment after the defeat, insisting that Man Utd “threw the towel” in against their city rivals.
“I think the worst thing you could say about United is they did give up,” Keane told Sky Sports. “For a player in a derby, or any game, to give up, it’s unforgivable really.
“The beauty of top-level sport is there is no hiding place. We saw all United’s shortcomings today.
“There’s ways to lose football matches, we’ve all lost football matches, but the way United lost today. They stopped running. They gave up. There’s players out there not running back.
“That’s what I don’t understand. The manager will be criticised, and the tactics, but players not running back when they’re playing for Man United is unacceptable.
“They threw the towel in, which is shameful.”
Keane added: “I forgive mistakes, but you’ve got to run back. There’s five or six players who should never play for Man United.
“It’s shameful. A couple of lads in midfield, (Aaron) Wan-Bissaka, Fred, (Marcus) Rashford came on. I could go on. And City weren’t even at their best. They didn’t have to be.
“They gave up, Shame on them!”
Fellow Man Utd legend Neville was equally harsh in his assessment of the Red Devils’ performance.
“Manchester United’s response to going 3-1 down has been embarrassing. Ninety-two per cent possession for City? They have given up,” Neville said on co-commentary for Sky Sports.
“They are walking around the pitch. It’s nowhere near good enough.
“There can be no complaints. City have been absolutely outstanding. But as a Manchester United fan, it’s embarrassing.
“City played brilliantly in the second half. But the effort and intensity from United in the last 20 minutes was non-existent.
“The scoreline isn’t the problem. It’s the response to going 3-1 down that’s the problem. They have thrown the towel in.”