Share

Memphis not to blame for draw - Rooney

Manchester - Manchester United forward Memphis Depay should not be blamed for the misplaced pass that allowed Chelsea's Diego Costa to score a late equaliser in the Premier League on Sunday, skipper Wayne Rooney has said.

United were leading 1-0 in stoppage-time when Memphis misplaced a pass to Morgan Schneiderlin, allowing Chelsea a phase of possession from which Costa scored.

Memphis, who joined United last year from PSV Eindhoven, has found it hard to settle in England, scoring twice in 19 league games, but Rooney defended the 21-year-old.

"I think we're all disappointed," Rooney told the Manchester Evening News.

"Memphis is a fantastic player and that happens, we all give bad passes away. A lot of things happened from when you give the ball away to when they've scored the goal, so I don't think we can stand here and blame Memphis."

Rooney said United had allowed Chelsea to seize the initiative after Jesse Lingard put the visitors ahead in the second half.

"The game was broken up a bit, we gave too many free kicks away and then we couldn't get up the pitch," he said.

"But with Chelsea, at times it's difficult, because they pushed players up front and they didn't really play with any system, so it's difficult to work out how to defend against them."

The draw left United fifth in the table, six points adrift of the top four.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
66% - 660 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
34% - 344 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE