3 takeaways from gameweek 8 of the Premier League (6th-7th October 2018)

Manchester Un
Manchester United offered a glimpse of what they could achieve if they believed in themselves

#2 Manchester United players remind us of the quality in their ranks with a resounding comeback

Manchester United v Newcastle United - Premier League
Alexis Sanchez wheels away in celebration after scoring United's winner in the 90th minute

Jose Mourinho has been pretty vocal about the lack of quality in defence and you couldn't help but agree with him as Newcastle United's usually meek looking attack tore the United backline to shreds within the first 10 minutes of the game.

The Red Devils looked clueless and devoid of ideas and Jose Mourinho's exit seemed to be only a couple of hours from being sanctioned. When the teams recessed during halftime, hardly anyone would have fancied this set of players to turn the game around.

However, Mourinho made a few sweeping changes to his team keeping only Chris Smalling as the sole out and out defender. United then delivered the kind of performance that their fans were yearning for and attacked relentlessly.

Juan Mata's freekick in the 70th minute oozed quality and gave Mourinho's men hope. Subsequently, Martial and Pogba combined to produce a moment of magic on the left side of the box to equalize for Manchester United.

The much-maligned Alexis Sanchez headed home in the 90th minute to afford Jose Mourinho a lifeline and suggest to the Old Trafford faithful that all is not lost.

For the entirety of the first half, the Manchester United players looked sapped off confidence and apprehensive of taking risks. But in the last 45 minutes, with nothing to lose, they regained their stride and scored 3 quality goals.

Having already been dealt heavy blows on the Premier League title challenge front, United need to start being their fearless selves- a change in mentality that was rewarded with 3 goals in 20 minutes.

For all the quality that Mourinho has at his disposal, there is no excuse for United being toothless in attack. At the end of the night, the Stretford End was buzzing with chants of 'Mourinho's Red Army' and that's quite simply because they saw the Manchester United that they wanted to see. A team that attacks, attacks and attacks.

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