Manchester United saw off Swansea at the Liberty Stadium to end a four-game winless streak in the Premier League. Goals from Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic put United 0-3 up by the 33rd minute before defender Mike van der Hoorn’s header from a Gylfi Sigurdsson cross brought Bob Bradley’s side back into the game. United would, however, quench any miraculous Swansea comeback as they regained control for the final quarter of the game.
Here are some of the talking points from the game at Wales.
#1 United put their poor form behind them
Manchester United arguably dominated proceedings from start to finish. Paul Pogba fitted perfectly into a free role, allowing the team to play around him. His superb volley to open the scoring for United summed up a brilliant outing for the world-record signing. Rooney – who has been under fire for months – seemed to carry the confidence from his screamer against Fenerbahce by putting in an energetic performance from the left side of midfield.
Zlatan ended his goalscoring drought with a brace, taking advantage of below-par defending from Swansea on both occasions. Michael Carrick – who was recalled to the starting eleven – provided the insurance as a third centre-back which allowed Jose Mourinho’s side to drive forward. It was a result and the confidence United badly needed ahead of a crunch Premier League fixture against Arsenal in two weeks’ time.
#2 Swansea barely had a sniff
United’s superiority meant that Swansea were barely able to enjoy a spell of possession on the ball. Even with possession, they looked out of ideas and any counter-punches were easily dealt with by Marcos Rojo and company at the back. The two strikers Borja and Fernando Llorente combined had zero shots on goal, which reflected the Swans’ absence of an attacking index.
It was only after the introduction of Jefferson Montero and Modou Barrow that Swansea managed to get some sort of a foothold on the game. A brief period of resurgence culminated in a deserved goal, but Jose Mourinho’s sides are experts at running the clock down, which is exactly what transpired in the final 15 minutes. Bob Bradley continues to wait for a Premier League victory as his side continue to languish in the relegation zone.
#3 Alfie Mawson is not Premier League quality
One of Swansea’s biggest concerns going forward is their lack of a leader in defence following Ashley Williams’ departure to Everton. Mike van der Hoorn is still adapting to life in the Premier League, which is understandable. However, it was the other centre-back Alfie Mawson’s shocking display which Bob Bradley must address. The 22-year old – who was signed from Barnsley in the summer transfer window – looked totally out of sorts dealing with an aerially strong Manchester United.
The task of handling Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba seemed beyond him as he was easily beaten in the air on a number of instances. The defending against Ibrahimovic in the build-up to United’s third goal was appalling and a strong message to Mawson that he will have to up his game if he has to help his struggling side initiate a revival in fortunes in a bid to maintain their Premier League status.
#4 Michael Carrick, the insurance provider
If there were any doubts raised about Michael Carrick’s contribution to Manchester United, there certainly won’t be any following this game. The 35-year old was highly influential in defensive midfield, slotting in as a third centre-back to ensure the defence wouldn’t be breached should a counter-attack come United’s way. It was his presence which distributed licenses to the midfield trio of Juan Mata, Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini to operate up the pitch and invade Swansea’s penalty box.
His vision to pick out a 50-yard pass to locate an advancing fullback adds yet another feather to his cap. Most match reports will talk about United blowing away Swansea with their attacking mindset, but that was made possible only thanks to Carrick’s invaluable presence in midfield. Surely Mourinho has to reward Carrick with a starting place for the crunch fixture against the Gunners in a fortnight’s time?
#5 United must sort out their defending during set-pieces for Arsenal
Though United ran out comfortable winners, an aspect of weakness Mourinho must correct at the training ground will be the approach to defending set-pieces. The freedom provided to Mark van der Hoorn to emerge from the crowd of players and head in Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick completely unmarked may not have cost United this time.
With Arsenal heading to Old Trafford for the next league fixture, however, the defence must sort themselves out and assign stern man-marking duties while defending set-pieces. Similar mistakes against teams of the quality of Arsenal are bound to prove costly and Mourinho will hope that that is not his undoing when he goes head-to-head with his age-old rival in Arsene Wenger.
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