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After holding on for much of the game, United land the perfect sucker punch
At the end of the opening half hour, if you had told any United supporter that United will emerge from this game with a clean sheet, they would have bitten your hand off. Because, for pretty much, the entire opening 45 minutes, United were very much second best. Although they had a couple of good chances to take the lead, both were presented to Ashley Young who blasted both wide.
But, as the game went on, you just got the feeling that United were just going to snatch it at the end, like old times. And they managed to do just that thanks to a Phil Jones volley. Another thing that changed was the delivery from set-pieces ever since the removal of Young and the introduction of Van Persie. Because, up until then, corners barely or rarely cleared the front man and nobody really had a chance in the box, but that was before Van Persie and Rooney started taking corners.
And the goal itself, came from a Van Persie corner. In the end, Moyes will be happy to have got the job done, finished top of the group and ended a difficult week, on a high, even if it was only for a short while.
Shakhtar’s finishing lets them down
For the amount of chances they created in the first half, Shakhtar should have gone into the break at least a couple of goals up. Instead, they went in, all level, although, they had United on the ropes from the very beginning thanks to some pathetic finishing on the part of their forwards, who did pretty much everything but put the ball in the net.
As the game wore on, it became increasingly clear that Shakhtar didn’t have the firepower to finish their attacks. And as attack after attack was mounted by the men from Donetsk, they were handled without too much fuss, by the United defense, which looked shaky at the outset. They came into the game having not won in their previous five trips to England and as that run continued as a Phil Jones volley was enough to send them to the Europa League.
Phil Jones growing stronger with each game
Nowadays, not a game goes by, without someone or the other pointing out that United lack any quality midfielders. So, it should come as no surprise that it was Phil Jones, a center back by trade, who was arguably, not just their best midfielder, but their best player on the pitch against Shakhtar. The Englishman was bundle of energy throughout the game and complemented Giggs very well. Whenever he got the ball, he was on his bike and looked a threat from set-pieces as well.
In the end, it was fitting that it was he who got the goal that gave United a much needed victory, one that sent them through as winners of the group. His finish for the goal, was one that the other Dutchman on the pitch, Van Persie, would have been proud of. But, for all of his industry and his tough tackling, Jones still ended up passing the ball sideways and backwards and didn’t really start too many attacks with the perfect pass. But, then, again, you can’t have it all your own way.
Buttner fails in his audition for the left back slot
With the January transfer window fast approaching, rumors are that Manchester United are on the lookout for a new left back to replace Patrice Evra. United scouts were reportedly in France last week, looking at Saint-Etienne’s left back Faouzi Ghoulam and Moyes’s interest in Leighton Baines is well documented. With all of this in the background, Moyes saw it fit to rest Patrice Evra and give Alexander Buttner a rare start and the Dutchman didn’t grab the opportunity with both hands.
The Dutch fullback seemed at sea when he was defending one on one situations and looked shaky on the ball all game. Although he did have a few bright moments throughout the game, he had far too many bad ones and doesn’t look like he has what it takes to displace the Frenchman from his place. On numerous occasions, his final ball, let him down and in the end, he was substituted with a couple of minutes to go. As he left the pitch, his chances of playing regularly this season, did as well, unless the Frenchman is injured.
Age looks like it is finally catching up to Rio Ferdinand
They say familiarity breeds contempt. But the United back-line wouldn’t know about any of that, because of the amount of chopping and changing that has been going on at the back. For the game against Shakhtar, Rio Ferdinand, who had previously criticized the manager for his penchant of announcing the team late, was back in the starting lineup and replaced Nemanja Vidic. And the Englishman didn’t cover himself with glory with his performance.
Barely a few years ago, he was hailed as one of the most skilled defenders at bringing the ball out of the back, but now, with his pace deserting him, his ability to do just that, has been vastly diminished. On far too many occasions, he was caught asleep on the ball and was lucky that there were players back to snuff out the danger. Although he made some telling clearances and blocked a couple of shots, Moyes wouldn’t have been pleased by the manner in which, he gave possession away on more than a few occasions.
