60% possession and plenty of chances, and yet Manchester United were once again caught out on the break for Atletico Madrid's decisive goal at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
Renan Lodi got the only goal of the game for Atleti, and his opener perfectly showcased the fragility of Manchester United's backline.
On a night when their attacking players at the very least showed endeavour and moved the ball well, it was United's defence that let them down, as they went crashing out of the Champions League.
Manchester United v Atletico Madrid: Defensive frailties exposed at Old Trafford
Harry Maguire has taken plenty of flack in recent months - understandably so, given the United captain has been woefully out of form this season. Maguire was again at fault on Tuesday for Renan Lodi's goal, but he wasn't the only one in the United back four.
The initial mistake came from Maguire, who was drawn out of position in the buildup. Maguire's absence at the heart of defence drew Alex Telles out of position, in a clear error of judgment, as Raphael Varane was already marking Joao Felix.
Seeing the lack of cover on Koke in the centre, Diogo Dalot was drawn inside from right-back, and left Lodi completely unmarked to easily nod in past David de Gea and put Atletico 1-0 up.
1-0 ATLETICO! 🇪🇸
Renan Lodi with a thumping header to give the visitors a 2-1 aggregate lead 👀#UCL pic.twitter.com/IpVKSyCahc— Watch the UCL on LiveScore 🇮🇪 (@LiveScoreIE) March 15, 2022
It was a simple goal to concede - but would have been even simpler for United's defence to prevent.
Atletico's winner was born out of a series of errors from United's defence and, though it was ultimately Dalot who was drawn out of position, Koke would likely have had a simple run at goal if the right-back had not covered him.
This has been the story of United's season. Defensive frailties were most famously exposed in the 0-5 and 4-1 defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City, but countless goals have been caused by comedies of errors at the back.
The blame is not entirely on Harry Maguire, nor on the four who were on the pitch on Tuesday. Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Eric Bailly have all been culpable at various points this season for simply getting the basics wrong.
The blame was not entirely on the defensive players either. Despite having most of the ball and creating some brilliant chances for Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga in particular, United could not find a goal against the low block of Diego Simeone's side.
Their substitutes were also anonymous, with Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani completely failing to make any meaningful impact on the game. The likes of Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo were poor on the night, and their absent performances decimated United's hopes of finding that elusive goal that would have brough the game to extra-time.
The result saw United fail to reach the last eight of the Champions League once again - a feat they have only achieved twice since Alex Ferguson's departure in 2013.
For a squad so expensively assembled, the regularity with which Manchester United get the basics wrong is astonishing, and it was exposed once again on Tuesday night.
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