Manchester United 3-0 Sunderland, Red Devils top of the table

Manchester United moved to the top of the Premier League table after beating Sunderland 3-0 courtesy to goals from Memphis Depay, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata at Old Trafford.

With Manchester City slipping up against Spurs in the earlier game, it was a chance for the Red Devils to close the gap and they capitalised with a convincing win over the Black Cats.

Manager Louis van Gaal made some changes to the side that beat Ipswich in midweek with Matteo Darmian moving to left-back while Antonio Valencia took over on the other side of the defence. Wayne Rooney started in the number 10 role just behind Anthony Martial, while Michael Carrick came back into the midfield.

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The Red Devils controlled the game for the majority with Sunderland constantly on the back foot, only to clear their lines aimlessly when they recovered possession. Van Gaal’s men pressed well after losing the ball to quickly regain it, but in large parts were unable to complete the final ball to open the scoring in the first half.

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The Black Cats had two half chances; the first came off of a glancing header from John O’Shea and the second a low strike from Dutchmen Lens, both of which De Gea was able to thwart off.

And shortly after, despite the full-backs and Martial looking the most dangerous, it was Memphis who opened the scoring just before the break. Daley Blind started the play by delivering a superb ball over the defense into the path of Juan Mata, who calmly played it across the face of goal first time into Memphis. The winger slid in to slot home, netting his first Premier League goal in the process after impressing in Europe so far.

It wasn’t to stop there and in the first minute of the second half, Wayne Rooney ended his 11 league match goal scoring drought and doubledUnited’s lead. Martial – who again shined for United, skipped past players in the box before playing a perfect ball into Rooney who rather luckily scored with a deflection off his knee.

After the second goal, Sunderland responded well. They came dangerously close to getting a goal back after a free kick was sent in to the back post. A scrum developed, resulting in a toe poke on goal which de Gea reacted well to and saved with an outstretched leg. The away side also had two corners immediately after, but both were defended well by the United back line.

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From then on, the Reds regained their stranglehold on the match. Martial made a brilliant turn at midfield to create a two on one against the Sunderland defender. The striker played Memphis in to a one on one with the keeper, but his shot was too central and was saved easily.

Bastian Schweinsteiger then replaced Michael Carrick in the 68^th minute to add even more composure in the midfield as United looked to see out the victory. Soon after, Martial nearly added a third goal off of a good header from a Valencia cross, but the ball flashed over the crossbar. Daley Blind suffered from a clashing of heads, leading to his departure from the match. Phil Jones came on to replace him to make his season debut after finally returning to full health. Ashley Young also came on for Memphis, likely to give the winger some rest for the Champions League match on Wednesday.

The final 15 minutes of the match saw United add to the scoreline when Mata smashed home the third in stoppage time. Young played a good ball in which eventually made its way to the Spaniard’s feet, and he blasted it into the net, giving the Sunderland keeper no chance.

With the 3-0 win, Louis van Gaal’s team continued to improve and build momentum going forward while moving to the top of the Premier League ahead of a tough October month.

Next: Andreas Pereira impresses van Gaal