Manchester United Are The Goalless Draw Specialists

Sir Alex Ferguson didn't have a goalless draw in his final 116 games in charge of Manchester United. But it's been a different story for Louis van Gaal...

Some people pointed to Wayne Rooney's transfer situation, an ageing squad or even the signing of Wilfried Zaha as problems that Ferguson left for his successors.

However, signing off with a 5-5 draw away to West Brom also symbolised the sense of excitement that the United manager had brought to the Premier League.

Ferguson did not take charge of a single goalless draw in his final 116 games in charge of United but it's been a very different story since. Louis van Gaal managed three inside a week last month.

Indeed, Van Gaal's United have had four 0-0 draws in their last eight games. The Dutchman has been quick to defend his tactics but has overseen no fewer than nine goalless games in his 66 matches at the helm.

Here we look at this season's five contests that have ended without a goal…

Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle United (August 22)

After winning their opening two games, United surrendered their 100 per cent record at home to Newcastle. Chris Smalling hit a post early on and Wayne Rooney also had a goal disallowed. There was heavy pressure put on the visitors throughout but the lack of cutting edge was apparent. This was Newcastle's only clean sheet in Steve McClaren's first dozen games in charge.

Van Gaal said: "I think the performance was one of the best during my period. We created chances."

Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City (October 25)

The Manchester derby at Old Trafford - a fixture that has seen a 4-3 win and 6-1 defeat for the home side in recent years - was played out with little incident. While the defending was to be admired, the lack of attacking ambition was alarming. United failed to attempt a single shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes for the first time since Opta began collecting records.

Van Gaal said: "We had 90 minutes control of the game against a side like Manchester City. I cannot complain."

Manchester United 0-0 Middlesbrough (October 28)

Not merely a goalless draw but one against a lower-league side that took in 30 minutes of extra-time and culminated in a penalty shoot-out defeat that saw United eliminated from the Capital One Cup. Jesse Lingard did hit the post but the closest a United player came to scoring was when Daley Blind put through his own net only to discover that the whistle had already blown.

Van Gaal said: "When you are not finishing the chances - and they were very easy chances in front of the goal or in front of the goalkeeper - then it is very difficult to win a game."

Manchester United 0-0 PSV (November 25)

The night began as a celebration of George Best's life on the 10th anniversary of his death, but it ended with supporters bemoaning the absence of the sort of fun and excitement that the Belfast boy could produce. Despite knowing the importance of victory against a PSV side that hadn't won away in the Champions League for eight years, United failed to fashion much in terms of clear-cut openings with Lingard carving the best chance over the bar.

Van Gaal said: "We could have scored at least three goals. They were not the most difficult chances, but we didn't score."

Credit: Skysports.com