Positives for Ryan

Ryan Mason emerged from Sunday’s battle with a “quality” Manchester United outfit and declared himself happy with the outcome.

The 23-year-old workhorse teamed up with Benji Stambouli at the heart of our midfield as we withstood the visitors’ pressure in the first half before going on to control the possession after the break.

He was also a key figure in arguably our best chance of the second period, latching onto Harry Kane’s pass but blasting over the bar from a wide position in the area.

Despite that, Ryan ultimately saw the 0-0 scoreline as a telling reflection of the contest.

“United had quite a few chances in the first half but in the second half we came into it strongly and a draw was probably a fair result,” he said.

“We had the momentum in the second half and the crowd was with us, we had a few chances, but United had some clear cut chances before the break so, like I said, the 0-0 was probably fair.

“United have got world class players all over the pitch. From their centre midfielders to their strikers, they’ve got some quality players, but I think we stuck together as a team.

“We were solid and we kept a clean sheet against a very strong Manchester United side so that’s a good, positive thing.”