Atletico Madrid is a good club, but Diego Simeone's snarling, cunning rottweilers are the best in Europe at preserving a lead. The second half had only been underway for a few of minutes when the first symptoms of displeasure began to stream down from the Old Trafford fans, and the Manchester United players were no exception.

This was a microcosm of Atletico Madrid. After Renan Lodi's goal, they didn't appear to be in a position to score again, but they didn't need to and were well aware of the situation.

They converted the second half of the game into an almost unwatchable shambles, with players collapsing at the first indication of contact, needing medical attention, and ultimately ending the game. United were unable to generate any sort of momentum.

The situation, however, called for cool heads and strong leadership, something United now lacks in both departments. There are too many hotheads in this squad, and Harry Maguire has to be relieved of the armband for the sake of his own performance.

Bruno Fernandes is a brilliant player, but maintaining his composure is not one of his strong suits. His game didn't improve when he played with anger in the second half.

They needed someone to calm them down at this time, but they fell right into Simeone's trap. They were enraged by Atletico's opening goal, despite the fact that there appeared to be no foul on Anthony Elanga in the build-up, and struggled to keep their emotions under control after that.

In the second half, United lost sight of their own gameplan as they were angry with referee Slavko Vincic's performance. As a result, they struggled to maintain any pressure on the Atletico goal for the majority of the second half.

A new nadir has been reached.
United have had some very bad seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, but after being knocked out of the Champions League so early, this season could be the worst of them all. While that may not be reflected in the league standings - and even if United manage to finish fourth, that will not be the case - this has been a disappointing campaign when you consider the amount of money invested and the caliber of players available.

It all started with hopes of competing for the Premier League, but things have spiraled out of control to the point that it now appears improbable that United will even qualify for the Champions League next season. If everything could go wrong, it did go wrong, which should be the title of the season review DVD.

However, despite the fact that they were fortunate to go into this second leg on equal footing, United were unable to take advantage of an Atletico Madrid team that has had a similarly poor season on the domestic front. The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union validates what we already suspected. This will be the club's fifth season in a row that it has failed to win a trophy.

Despite the fact that supporters have grown tired of hearing about the need for rebuilds after nine years, this season has probably reaffirmed that this is a squad that is in desperate need of a fresh direction and some new faces. Defeat against Atletico Madrid was a fitting conclusion to their dreams of winning a trophy.

Problems with the wing-back position
Atletico's wing-backs caused plenty of difficulties for Manchester United on Saturday, to the point where Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon were unlucky to be on the losing side. While Tottenham's wing-backs were more consistent on the field, they posed a threat at times.

Spurs were successful because of the presence inside of Son-Heung Min and Dejan Kulusevki, but Atletico didn't have the same third man runs, so United were more comfortable. However, there were still moments when the width held by Marco Llorente and Lodi stretched the play a little further for United.

As Llorente teed up Joao Felix, he should not have strayed offside, and the confusion over who was supposed to be scooping them up proved to be a costly one when Lodi headed Atletico in front from Antoine Griezmann's cross. Despite the fact that Diogo Dalot was not close enough to Lodi, he did have a few of players surrounding him at the back post, and he probably should have called for assistance before it was too late.

The effect of Fred
Having just discovered his more creative side, Fred is now beginning to play more like a Brazilian, as evidenced by his flicked assist for Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday. It was Fred's fourth assist in 15 games for United under Rangnick.

In the first half, he made one backheeled pass to Scott McTominay, who was midway inside his own half, which forced a couple of Atletico midfielders out of the game. On the other hand, a magnificent piece of inventiveness on the byline in the Atletico area saw Diego Costa roll past a defender to find space, recalling the effort by Real Madrid's Fernando Redondo, who created a goal for Cristiano Ronaldo here nearly two decades ago.

While Fred was once again playing a step or two ahead of McTominay, not only was he getting more out of him in terms of pushing, but he was also beginning to display some aspects of his game that had been dormant for the majority of his United tenure.

Atmosphere
For the first time in three years, a Champions League knockout match was played in front of the home crowd at Old Trafford, following the quarter-final first-leg defeat to Barcelona under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. A fan base accustomed to big-game atmospheres was anxious to make up for lost time.

On behalf of the Red Army signing section, I want to thank you all for your support and ask that you please keep the volume up all evening. The mood started out hot and fast, with the Atleti fans from Spain contributing significantly to the intensity.

With Atletico's game management antics and some of the judgments made by referee Vincic, the atmosphere changed to one of irritation in the second half.