Manchester United got back to their winning ways by beating Bournemouth 1-0 on Wednesday night at Old Trafford. Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal of the match after Juan Mata’s perfectly weighted cross. The Belgian has now ended his Premier League goal drought, while Manchester United made sure the derby loss was forgotten.
Lukaku Finally Scores
United’s number 9 has been in very poor form. He scored once in last 10 matches and he really needed to get back to scoring. Lukaku had a very poor Manchester Derby, being unfortunate in regard to both City goals and failing to score from a clear cut chance late in the game.
However, now he finally scored. More importantly, he won the match for United as well. Last time his goal won three points for the Reds was against Southampton, in a 1-0 win as well.
Lukaku’s form against big six sides of the Premier League has been catching a lot of media coverage and he really needs to improve in that category. Until then, there is as much as he can do as scoring regularly. This is a good start.
Manchester United Continue Winning Against Sides Like Bournemouth
This was a very important win for psychological reasons. United bounced back after loss to City and it was not the easiest match. Bournemouth had their chances and Jose Mourinho’s team was once again missing Paul Pogba.
The Frenchman might be too important for this team, which is not the best thing, but Man United managed to grind out this one. The Reds won 1-0 against Brighton, while wins against Leicester and Saints earlier in the season came from similar situations. With results like this, Man United will run away from teams like Liverpool and Tottenham.
Scott McTominay And Juan Mata Prominent Changes
This was the sixth appearance for Scott McTominay. However, this was his first start for Manchester United this season and it was great to see Mourinho having faith in him. McTominay played alongside Nemanja Matic, as the manager tried to change things around. Luke Shaw and Mata got the nod as well and the team delivered.
On the other hand, McTominay seemed very composed, slotting in seamlessly. He completed 91% of his passes, played a few lovely long balls and made one key pass.
As the winter madness rushes into the Premier League, we can only hope we will see more of McTominay in Manchester United’s starting XI.
The Usual Suspect David De Gea
And then there is the best goalkeeper in the world. Haven’t heard you anything about him recently? Well, he is back to his usual business.
This time he made seven saves and made sure United earned another clean sheet. This is his tenth of the season, making him by far the most reliant goalkeeper. He has now made 60 saves in Premier League this season, making him the busiest goalkeeper of all top six teams.
That is not always the best news, but at least De Gea is performing excellently at all times. Hopefully Manchester United defence will start conceding less shots. That is a requirement for very top side.
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