West Brom vs Manchester United match report: Juan Mata's moment of madness leaves United with mountain to climb

West Bromwich Albion 1 Manchester United 0

Salomon Rondon begins to celebrate after scoring the winning goal for West Brom (Getty Images)

It always appeared to be a tentative revival, but any hopes of such small steps beginning to gather momentum were halted as Manchester United’s Champions League ambitions were dealt a heavy blow by the boot of Salomon Rondon and recklessness of Juan Mata at The Hawthorns.

Having secured four successive victories in all competitions over the past two weeks, Louis van Gaal’s players came crashing down to earth with a bump as West Bromwich Albion toasted a home league victory over United for the first time since March 1984.

The victory, earned by Rondon’s 66th-minute goal, as good as banishes any faint Albion relegation fears, but the defeat also leaves United trailing fourth-placed Manchester City by three points, having played a game more and with a vastly inferior goal difference, ahead of the trip to the Etihad on 20 March.

All of a sudden, United now face four games in thirteen days in three competitions which will shape their season and the future of Van Gaal.

Their prospects by 6pm on 20 March will tell us an awful lot about what happens next in the manager’s office at Old Trafford.

With West Ham mounting a remarkable fightback to win at Everton on Saturday, and City securing a routine victory at home to doomed Aston Villa, United arrived in the Midlands knowing that they had no margin for error in their pursuit of Champions League qualification.

Such has been United’s unpredictability this season, it is perhaps an achievement in itself that Van Gaal’s players remain in contention for a top four finish.

Juan Mata walks past Louis van Gaal after being sent-off (Reuters)

A winless December, followed by a run of costly late goals conceded against Newcastle, Chelsea and Southampton in January, denied United the points which would have seen them well-placed in the Champions League berths, and perhaps even on the tails of leaders Leicester City, had they been able to secure just half of the points which they threw away.

It has only been the form slumps endured by City and Arsenal that have left the door open for United at the top, but they will have to run simply to stand still between now and the end of the campaign as a consequence of their bleak midwinter.

Yet back-to-back league victories against Arsenal and Watford have given United hope of a top four finish – how the club’s priorities have changed since Sir Alex Ferguson waved farewell to the club as champions with a 5-5 draw at this ground in May 2013 – even if there was a necessity to win here in order to make the Manchester derby at the Etihad later this month a truly decisive fixture.

With Chris Smalling and Matteo Darmian back to fitness and in the team following recent injury lay-offs, and Marouane Fellaini declared fit to take a place on the substitutes’ bench, Van Gaal was at least able to field a more experienced team than in recent weeks.

But despite the more senior look to his starting eleven, Van Gaal could only watch on from the dug-out in the first-half as the home side dominated, both in terms of possession and chances.

The 26th-minute dismissal of Mata clearly added to United’s problems, with the Spaniard sent off for two yellow cards in the space of two minutes – both wholly avoidable and plainly stupid bookings earned by the former Chelsea midfielder.

Having been booked for failing to retreat sufficiently for an Albion free-kick, Mata’s clumsy challenge on Darren Fletcher left referee Mike Dean with no option but to brandish a second yellow and subsequent red card.

Juan Mata looks on after being sent-off against West Brom (Getty Images)

United had already been struggling to control the midfield, so the loss of Mata left Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera having to overtime to plug the gaps while Van Gaal resisted the temptation to throw on Fellaini or Morgan Schneiderlin in order to restore parity with West Brom in the middle third.

United were fortunate, however, that Tony Pulis’s team lacked the imagination with which to take advantage of their extra man.

Albion’s best efforts were restricted to high balls to full-back Craig Dawson, whose height repeatedly troubled United in the penalty area, before Saido Berahino scuffed a good effort wide.

Dawson, a centre-half filling a gap at full-back, may never have enjoyed so many goalscoring opportunities in one game and the former Rochdale defender almost gave his team the lead with a dipping volley from 25 yards shortly before half-time.

So it was probably some relief to United when Dawson limped out of the game on 55 minutes, being replaced by Sebastien Pocognoli. Down to ten men, the departure of the home side’s biggest attacking threat could only be a positive.

By that stage, however, United had upped their game, sensing that Albion’s over-cautious approach could give them an opportunity to snatch an opening goal.

Marcus Rashford saw a 51st-minute shot diverted behind for a corner after good tee-up work by Anthony Martial, while Jesse Lingard went close to testing goalkeeper Ben Foster two minutes later with a curling shot from 20 yards.

When Martial raced onto a Marcos Rojo clearance on 58 minutes, the French forward had the beating of Martin Olsson, but the Albion defender halted the United striker’s run with a foul on the edge of the penalty area, earning a booking and conceding a free-kick in the process.

Juan Mata appears in The Hawthorns stand after being sent-off against West Brom (Getty Images)

But with Mata now back in his club suit and Memphis Depay on the bench, United lacked a free-kick expert, leaving Herrera to aim his set-piece tamely into the wall.

United were hardly pinning Albion’s backs to the wall, though, and Pulis’s team slowly regained control in midfield with Fletcher and Craig Gardner helping the home side turn the tide.

And on 66 minutes, they were rewarded with the opening goal after Pocognoli’s cross had been allowed to drop to the Venezuelan forward by United’s dozing defence.

Salomon Rondon celebrates with his West Brom team-mates after scoring against Manchester United (Getty Images)

Rondon was simply in the right place at the right time to stroke the loose ball past De Gea from 10 yards to give United a mountain to climb.

They failed to even reach base camp and, with a Europa League double header against Liverpool and FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham looming before the clash against City, an even bigger mountain now faces United if they are to rescue their season.