Video: Manchester United defender Rafael in epic fail as he tries to stop Saido Berahino scoring...by shouting at him

Rafael was easily out-paced by the West Brom striker and his last resort was to try to put him off when shooting

Jack de Menezes
Tuesday 21 October 2014 16:29 BST
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Rafael shouts at Saido Berahino
Rafael shouts at Saido Berahino (Sky Sports 1)

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Rafael knew he was out of ideas when Saido Berahino was through on goal in Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with West Brom, so he resorted to a tactic regularly seen on the school playground rather than in the Premier League.

Berahino powered through the United defence to slot the ball past David de Gea and restore the Baggies’ one goal lead they would hold until the closing stages of the match, when Daley Blind struck to level the scores at 2-2.

Perhaps sensing the worse, Rafael chased back but it was all in vain as the England Under-21 international used his pace to stay out of reach of the Brazilian. Resorting to the last weapon in his locker, Rafael tried shouting just as Berahino pulled the trigger in the hope that he would miss the target. He didn’t.

United’s defensive concerns have been well documented this season, with Louis van Gaal quickly ditching his 3-5-2 formation early in the season. Van Gaal’s problems increased when he suffered a defensive crisis, as Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Tyler Blackett were all unavailable through injury or suspension.

Watch the Vine below...

That said, it’s almost inconceivable to imagine Van Gaal has been implementing the tactic of shouting at opponents. If only Rafael had put as much effort into stopping Berahino as he did screaming at him, United might have won the game.

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