Manchester United 3-0 Stoke City: 5 Talking Points

Manchester United dispelled any fears of their vulnerability under Louis Van Gaal as they easily brushed aside a disappointing Stoke City 3-0 on Tuesday to maintain a clear hold on the fifth position in the Premier League.Jesse Lingard headed perfectly from a sumptuous Cameron Borthwick-Jackson cross to give the Red Devils the lead, before a sublime Anthony Martial finish into the top corner from a counter-attack doubled their lead in under 25 minutes. Wayne Rooney sealed the points for his side in the 53rd minute when Martial laid the ball on a plate for him to tap in and make it 7 goals in as many games since the turn of the year.We take a look at the 5 talking points which shaped up a pretty one-sided affair at Old Trafford:

#1 Xherdan Shaqiri\'s absence leaves fans flummoxed

Shaqiri was preferred to Jon Walters.

In a game where the exploits of Xherdan Shaqiri on the right side of midfield was set to put young left-back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson through his paces, Potters fans would have been nonplussed by the absence of the Swiss from the starting XI.

Instead, Jon Walters was preferred to him. Though Walters made a good account of himself with his purposeful approach play, it was pretty evident that Shaqiri would have seized Manchester United’s inexperience at left-back to greater effect with his pace and technical adroitness on the ball. Birthday boy Borthwick-Jackson found the overall going pretty solid against the veteran Walters.

#2 Anthony Martial takes centre-stage yet again

Anthony Martial was almost untouchable.

After a stellar performance against Derby County, 20-year-old Anthony Martial displayed yet another masterclass with his fleet-footedness on the left-wing. This time, there were two on the receiving end.

It was Glen Johnson for the first half-an-hour and former Manchester United man Phil Bardsley for the remaining 60 minutes who had to bear the brunt of the Frenchman’s delightful skill with the ball at his feet.

Wrong footing them and slaloming past them on a number of occasions, Anthony Martial was almost untouchable on Tuesday night. His fairytale start to life in the Premier League continues to mesmerize pundits and football fans across the globe.

#3 Finally, an attack minded performance by United at Old Trafford

There is some light at the end of the tunnel for Louis van Gaal after all.

Manchester United finally found the back of the net in the first half at Old Trafford after a period of over 4 months. Much of that was down to some brilliant attacking football right from the first whistle – pace, guile and most importantly, the finishing touch which has eluded United’s frontmen for such a long period of time.

Michael Carrick’s presence seemed to make the entire midfield function effectively as a unit. Jesse Lingard, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial were absolutely clinical upfront, as they opened up a Shawcross-less Potters defence at will to engineer an emphatic victory.

Overall, it was a performance which more than suggested that the original Manchester United were back to please their fans at Old Trafford. A boring, possession dominated display was duly replaced by some intensity and energy going forward. There is some light at the end of the tunnel for Louis van Gaal after all.

#4 Cameron Borthwick-Jackson is a future Manchester United prospect

The 19-year old is capable of filling the left-back void left by Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw.

With Manchester United running out of ammunition in the full-backs department, it was up to Cameron Borthwick-Jackson to step up to the challenge of making a run of consistent performances for the first team. His displays until last night’s fixture were promising, if not spectacular.

However, his performance against the Potters was a great sign of encouragement for the 19-year old that he was capable of filling the left-back void left by Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw. A delightful cross to pick out Jesse Lingard for United’s opener was supported by some excellent defensive work, both on the wings and in his penalty box to neutralise the physical and aerial threats of Jon Walters and Peter Crouch respectively.

Louis van Gaal will be extremely pleased with the teenagers development at left-back. With key league and cup fixtures coming up, Borthwick-Jackson’s form will be crucial to keep opposition wingers at bay.

#5 Stoke City uncharacteristically disappointing

David de Gea, for once, remained pretty much a spectator for 90 minutes.

Mark Hughes will want to wipe this game out of his and his players’ memories as soon as possible. A disappointing Stoke City performance saw them unsettled in defence by a ruthless Manchester United attack.

However, they will regret the host of chances they missed on the counter attack. A couple of Afellay shots were skied over and Peter Crouch failed to take advantage of his height, misdirecting several crosses targeted towards him.

David de Gea, for once, remained pretty much a spectator for 90 minutes. An injury to yet another centre-back Phillip Wollscheid will not have helped their cause either. Mark Hughes will look to convert an unconventionally average performance from the Potters to a more productive one when they host Everton this weekend.