Manchester United continued their rich vein of form as goals from Daley Blind, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan helped them clinch a 3-1 victory over Sunderland, which saw the return of former Manchester United boss David Moyes to Old Trafford.
Full-back Blind’s low strike across goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 39th minute opened the scoring for the hosts. Zlatan Ibrahimovic doubled United’s tally following a defensive error by Sunderland, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s outrageous back-flick finish sealed the points for Jose Mourinho’s side. Fabio Borini’s brilliant volleyed goal from the edge of the box in the 90th minute was a mere consolation.
Here are the talking points from the encounter at Old Trafford:
#1 Victor Anichebe misses a glorious opportunity to give Sunderland the lead
Manchester United, as expected prior to kick-off, dominated the possession statistics, with Paul Pogba being at the heart of most of United’s chance creation. However, Sunderland were not just relying on sitting back and forming a wall in front of Jose Mourinho’s men. They looked threatening on the counter-attack, with forwards Fabio Borini, Jermain Defoe and Victor Anichebe getting on the end of a defensive clearance and having a crack at David de Gea’s goal.
The tactic nearly worked for David Moyes’ men in the 30th minute, as Defoe’s floated cross after a Sunderland break was completely missed by Marcos Rojo and the ball fell in the path of Anichebe who had only de Gea to beat.
His scuffed shot was blocked by the Spaniard, who also dealt with Borini’s follow-up before United’s defence cleared away the danger. Anichebe rightly had his hands on his head – it was a glaring chance to put the Black Cats up and change the eventual outcome of the game.
#2 Blind’s opener a reward for United’s patience
Though David Moyes’ men provided some spark whenever they had the ball, the game largely followed an expected pattern, with Manchester United patiently probing at the Sunderland defence and constantly searching for the final pass to open them up. Sunderland’s back-four and Jason Denayer in defensive midfield were doing a good job of staying compact and preventing United from garnering that clear goal-scoring chance.
United were forced to initiate their attacks from the wings, with full-backs Antonio Valencia and Daley Blind given the license to surge forward and provide crosses for Ibrahimovic and Pogba to attack. The inevitable breakthrough finally arrived in the 39th minute, when a cross from the right was knocked down by Ibrahimovic for Blind, who struck the ball sweetly with his left foot across a diving Jordan Pickford and into the bottom corner. The deadlock was broken and relief reverberated across Old Trafford.
#3 Pogba and Zlatan are clearly key to Manchester United
Manchester United are now on a nine-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, last losing to Chelsea in Mourinho’s ill-fated return to Stamford Bridge. Though the unexpected emergence of the defensive duo of Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones has been an important factor in maintaining that unbeaten streak, it is the slow but certain rise in the form of two of their summer signings, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which has contributed massively to them finishing off games of late.
Dominating games without the end product had been United’s core issue in the months of October and November, which impeded them from winning games they deserved. In recent fixtures, however, Paul Pogba’s passing and movement with the ball has been better and so has Ibrahimovic’s involvement in United’s play around the edge of the box.
The 35-year old looked isolated at times during the initial weeks of the season, but now has 17 goals in all competitions for United after today’s game thanks to his improved positioning in the box and ability to hold up the ball in the attacking third.
He has certainly benefited from Pogba’s incisive passing and wonderful floated passes to carve open the opposition defence. Pogba’s height also makes him a primary target from crosses. Michael Carrick’s presence has definitely helped Pogba express himself advancing up the pitch, and the partnership between the duo will be critical for United’s chances to break into the top four as the festive fixtures come and go.
#4 Sunderland can stay up if they remain positive
Though Sunderland were comprehensively defeated at the end, there were definitely positives for manager David Moyes to take from the performance. The Black Cats looked promising on the break and even forced David de Gea to make a few saves. Victor Anichebe fluffed a massive chance to put Sunderland up, while Jermain Defoe managed to create an opportunity or two as well.
It was only due to an error by Didier Ndong which broke the shackles and allowed United to grab the second goal and afford themselves some breathing space. Moyes has clearly worked on bringing his centre-backs up to scratch to the Premier League level, something that was worryingly absent when he took over in the summer.
Fabio Borini’s excellent volleyed goal may have been a consolation, but Sunderland fully deserved at least a goal for putting in a good shift. If Sunderland can keep fighting like they did at Old Trafford, they are more than capable of pulling off yet another ‘Great Escape’, something that has defined their recent Premier League seasons.
#5 Jordan Pickford is a future England prospect
Sunderland must credit goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for keeping the scoreline down at Old Trafford, as he made six saves to frustrate United’s forwards. His positioning and reflexes were excellent during the game, which was evident from a great save with his right foot to deny Zlatan Ibrahimovic from scoring midway through the second half after Mata sent him clear through.
His handling was also secure as he held on to a fiercely struck free-kick from Zlatan Ibrahimovic in injury time. The 22-year old’s recently brilliant performance between the sticks makes him a deserved suitor for many top Premier League sides and it remains to be seen how soon he finds his way into new England manager Gareth Southgate’s plans as far as the national team is concerned.
