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Scoreline: Watford 2 - 4 Manchester United
Scorers: Young 19' 25' Martial 32' Doucoure 84' Lingard 86'
Manchester United nearly plummetted to the pits of despair from the peak of joy as they saw off a late surge from Marco Silva's men thanks to some clinical display in front of goal.
Ashley Young scored a stunner of an opening goal with a remarkable volley before embellishing his body of work tonight with a magical freekick. Anthony Martial kept a cool head and passed the ball past Gomes to take United's tally to 3.
A reckless tackle from Marcos Rojo on Carrillo led to a penalty which Troy Deeney converted with ease in the 77th minute. This spurred a late resurgence of sorts from the Hornets as Doucoure's first-time shot off a Carrillo cross from the right flank got them one step closer to an astounding comeback against Mourinho's men.
Just when Watford looked all set to piddle on United's night, Jesse Lingard took matters into his own hands and went on a solo trip from his own half. He ventured into enemy territory, swivelling past one defender and then the next before bookending it with a low finish into the bottom left corner to put the game to bed.
Here are the 5 talking points from the game:
#5 Jesse Lingard shows why he is no pushover
Jesse Lingard was in the middle of everything exciting happening for United from the get-go. He is a player who is often maligned as being nothing more than a glorified filler but tonight he handpicked and put up on show those traits that make him anything but.
His liberal take on the attacking realms, dragging one defender and then the next away from their zones coupled with relentless running, helped United pile up the pressure on an unsettled Watford defence. He set up Ashley Young for the opener and was immensely involved in the build-up that eventually led to Martial's goal.
He should have scored after a Lukaku shot was parried as he was clean through on goal in the first half. Lingard's miss was rather disappointing but wasn't mourned, not then at least.
Lingard ended the night vindicating himself with an awe-inspiring solo goal that saw him upend the Watford defence with grand swagger. While the newspapers are yapping about the trio of Martial, Rashford and Mkhitaryan, Lingard has decided to throw his hat in and stake his claim for a starting spot.
#4 Watford are menacing in attack but scruffy at the back
Manchester United pretty much opened the floodgates from dormancy in the first half and nearly killed the game off in 13 minutes- a window in which they scored 3 goals. The Red Devils' clinical finishing helped their cause but it was the ever backpedalling defenders that cost them 3 points on the night.
However, once complacency started to settle in the heads of Mourinho's men, Watford turned on the heat and almost roasted them right back. Abdoulaye Doucoure and Will Hughes had started running affairs in midfield early on and the former grew into the game dangerously in the second half.
He scored Watford's second goal and that happened thanks to Carrillo's swift feet and enterprise on the right flank. Richarlison showed great intent throughout but couldn't apply the finishing touch to any of his attempts.
Once United started sitting back, the Hornets starting surging into their attacking half and curling crosses into the danger area. Occasionally this led to some pinball near the 6-yard box and Manchester United were fortunate to come unscathed from most of those. They gave the Old Trafford outfit more than just a scare after reducing the deficit to 1 goal in the 84th minute.
However, once again their defence crumbled as Lingard's individual brilliance gifted United the game.
#3 Victor Lindelof and Mourinho's man management
Victor Lindelof has already been written off in various quarters as being one tall dude who just doesn't belong. In fact, his first few performances were nothing to write home about. But when you pay such huge amounts for players, fans tend to call teething issues bollocks.
Jose Mourinho, as he did with Mkhitaryan last year, insisted that Lindelof just needs time and protected the player from all the cynicism. Lindelof looked like he turned a new leaf against Brighton and took on from where he left off over the weekend against Brighton with an even brighter display.
Richarlison was hardly offered a moment of peace as Lindelof hounded and got the better of him for most parts of the game. His keeping Richarlison quiet was crucial to nullifying Watford's threat going forward and the Swedish youngster pulled it off admirably.
Anthony Martial has already scored 8 goals this season and looks like a completely different player. Mourinho had backed his player's ability and promised him game time given he brings consistency to the table. Now he has and he is being rightly rewarded. Martial was taken off slightly after the hour mark and this goes to show that he could very well be starting against Arsenal in the weekend.
#2 Troy Deeney's impact was evident
Deeney came on late in the game-- after the 70-minute mark-- and in the 77th minute, he scored from the spot to open Watford's account on the night. Instant impact.
The 29-year-old returned after serving a 3-match ban and he straightaway added a fresh new dimension to Watford's game. All of a sudden, crosses were flying in from the left and right flanks.
Manchester United's 3 men defence were struggling to keep up as Carrillo, Richarlison and Doucoure kept asking questions. But it was the constant and strong presence of Deeney in the area that greatly unsettled the United defence as threats began coming from all sides.
Earlier, Gray had been largely marked out of the game and failed to have an impact. This made the transition even more effective as United were caught cooling their heels off before rush hour was done.
#1 Ashley Young is now winning games for United
If he seemed well on his way to redemption after the match against Brighton, Ashley Young now looks like he just got an engine upgrade. His feet are fine-tuned, his head's sorted and his heart is in the right place.
Ashley Young's first goal was a cracker of a volley which was driven low into the bottom corner from right outside the area. His second goal was an absolute showstopper. I'll save the lecture and instead offer you this:
Here is a man who was told multiple times that he is not worthy of a United shirt but he is crushing wingbacks one at a time and scoring spectacular goals one after the other and is winning matches for Manchester United with quality displays week in and week out.
The 32-year-old has become Manchester United's first-choice left back. This is no mean feat as the players he has beaten to the lineup are Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian and Luke Shaw. Ashley Young will continue to be involved on the right flank for Manchester United and the Old Trafford faithful will only be grateful for it, given the way it's going right now.
