When it all looked gone, Manchester United came back to earn an important win. It was only the first time Man United scored three goals in a Premier League match since 4 April. Incidentally or not, it was also the match in which the Devils were trailing by two goals at half-time and then went on to win it – Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Alexis Martial all scored inside of last 20 minutes to defeat Newcastle United after a shocking first-half.
Manchester United Still Have Plenty Of Issues
It was a very pleasing comeback for Manchester United, mostly because they were unbearably poor in the first 45 minutes. Jose Mourinho’s team managed to win it in the dying minutes and three points are very welcome right now, but there are still plenty of issues. Man United’s defending in that first-half was shocking – Eric Bailly was all over the place, looking like he was far from the Championship level, let alone Man United. Smalling was also making mistakes, while Nemanja Matic looked slow.
Newcastle were creating chances and they had alarming eight shots on target, keeping David De Gea busy. There is still a lot to work on.
Aggression Brings Fruition
It is incredible what aggression can bring to Man United at Old Trafford. When you are meek and mellow for the most part of the match – and even for the most part of all Old Trafford outings this season – a bit of aggression can make the fans lift you and give you energy. And also unsettle the opposition.
United were all over Newcastle every since scoring the first goal and that led them to a late win. Why United did not play with positive aggression and energy like they did in the end?
Pogba Shows All He Can Do
Paul Pogba had 111 touches, 89 completed passes and 31 of them in the final third. He completed three dribbles, made an important and lovely assist for Martial’s goal, ran the match from all areas of the pitch and deservedly won the man of the match award. This is what he is capable of when he is “in the zone”.
As always, the problem with Pogba is being reliable on him. Will he become consistent? If he controls the match from deep as he did this time, things will be much rosier than in the past year.
Dubravka Could Outgrow Newcastle
Martin Dubravka was once again one of the crucial players for Newcastle. In the end, it was not enough for the Magpies to get anything from this match, but the Slovakian goalkeeper truly impressed. He had some really good saves in this match and a total of seven saves. It would not be a surprise if Martin Dubravka moves to a better situated club next summer, especially if Newcastle get relegated.
His performances have been exceptional ever since joining Newcastle. The Magpies did not pay much for him, but he is proving to be one of their most important players, especially in a system where defence is their main strength.
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