On Sunday 19th September, Manchester United fought tooth and nail to get the three points against West Ham. After a dramatic heart-raising last few minutes, the Red Devils walked away with the all important three points. Here are 5 things that we learnt.
Ronaldo = Goals
For anyone who is still doubting Ronaldo, I think they now have their answer. Three goals in two Premier League games. Four goals in three games in all competitions. If anyone is still questioning if he can “handle the Premier League” they shouldn’t be saying that anymore. A lot of us joked that when we signed Ronaldo, we were going to be 1-0 up in all games. But, all jokes aside, this has been more than true for the games we have played so far. Getting more than a goal a game so far is nothing to be sniffed at. And that is what Cristiano Ronaldo provides for Manchester United.
Defensive Question marks
The goal that Manchester United conceded was not a good defensive display at all. The shot from Benrahma was deemed on target but took a wild deflection from an attempted Varane block. The deflection saw the ball into the otherside of the net that de Gea was ready to pounce on. However, the fact that Benrahma was allowed the space to get the shot off was not acceptable. What’s more is the build up from West Ham involved a lot of intricately worked passes through the gaps that led to West Ham getting the shot off. This also followed a spell of continued pressure from the Hammers. A time at which it felt the Red Devils could not fully close them down.
Lingard Redemption
After such a game changing error in the Champions League opener against Young Boys, Jesse Lingard responded in possibly the greatest way possible. When he was brought on in a double swap for him and Sancho for Pogba and Greenwood. No doubt there will have been questions from United fans as to why we were bringing on the player who seemingly cost us points in Switzerland. However, Jesse put all of those questions to side when he received the ball on the edge of the box and slid past Zouma to slot the ball perfectly into the top corner in the 89th minute. For the fans, after seeing the minutes tick away into what we expected to be a draw, Lingard stepped up and changed his own narrative. With one worldie of a shot he had changed himself from villain to hero.
Ole’s Stellar Subs
After the Young Boys game there were a lot of people questioning Solksjær’s substitutions and his general in-game management. And yes, on that night he almost certainly got it wrong and made some mistakes for sure. However, the changes he made today worked out brilliantly. Sancho did a good job of keeping the width and spreading the pitch out for the opposition. And then the Matic pass to Lingard for his goal was inch perfect. The perfectly weighted ball in just the right place. Sublime. Bringing him on also sured up that defensive midfield area where at times in the game it looked very cagey. And then the Lingard substitution obviously payed dividends with him bringing in the winning goal.
David de Gea back at his best
I think David de Gea has been having a very assured confident, almost dominant, start to the season. This game was no exception. Apart from the wild deflection that sent him the other way, he didn’t look to troubled in his own net. We all know that David de Gea has saved Manchester United points in the past. But, I think a lot of fans thought that those times might be behind us. And it might be time for us to admit that de Gea might not be the keeper he once was. However, de Gea’s performance this match felt like something close to what he was at his best. Not only that, but the confidence that saving that last minute match deciding penalty will give him is unparalleled. I think I speak for a lot of United fans in hoping that this confidence translates into more comfortable and assured performances from David de Gea.