Manchester United 3-0 Stoke: Reds score with ease
The Red Devils won with style and flair in attack and strength in defense
Manchester United cruised to a 3-0 victory over Stoke at Old Trafford with their best display as a team and goals from Rooney, Martial, and Lingard.
Louis van Gaal utilized a similar team tp the side that easily beat Derby 3-1 last week end. Michael Carrick made his return to the starting team in place of Morgan Schneiderlin, potentially presenting issues in defensive covering alongside Marouane Fellaini. Matteo Darmian also made his way back after recovering from a head injury to regain his starting role from Guillermo Varela.
Aside from the first ten minutes or so, Manchester United absolutely dominated the first half. They continued the high press that worked well in the FA Cup fixture and the impressive attacking display carried over. The Red Devils opened the scoring in the 14th minute via a connection between two academy products – Cameron Borthwick-Jackson whipped in a dangerous cross to the Stoke box, picking Jesse Lingard out from the bunch.
The winger dove to meet the ball, sending it ricocheting into the net and giving his team the first goal of the match. Immediately after, Anthony Martial had a chance to double the advantage as he scampered through the defense but succeeded only in sending his shot into the side netting.
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It took just under ten minutes for Manchester United to bag another, with Martial making amends for his earlier missed opportunity. The Frenchman rounded out a stellar counterattack from the home side that began with a clearing ball into Juan Mata. The Spaniard took two deft touches before finding Wayne Rooney darting forward centrally, and the captain sent it wide to an unmarked Martial where he scored a spectacular curler in the top corner.
The two sides went into the break at the same score line of 2-0 in favor of Manchester United. The Dutch manager would have been delighted with his team’s first half performance, their best display of the season thus far. The attack worked to perfection while the defense was able to maintain the clean sheet.
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Rooney was unfairly robbed of a goal early into the second half for a questionable foul called on Glen Johnson. The skipper was not to be kept off the scorer’s sheet though, as he scored just moments later in the 53rd by tapping home a Martial ball across the face of goal. The score was yet again the result of excellent build up.
Martial was substituted for Memphis in the 79th, followed by Fellaini coming off in favor of Ander Herrera in the 80th. The teenager had a crucial impact on the match, scoring a goal and creating another, while the Belgian was less involved. Andreas Pereira was the final change as he came on in relief of Mata in the 88th minute. After Rooney added the third goal, the result never looked to be in doubt – aside from any additional goals for Manchester United.
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The match as a whole was unquestionably the best performance by the Red Devils in the Premier League this season. The fact that it comes on the heels of the decisive win in the FA Cup fourth round will only further uplift supporters’ spirits. The hope will be that they can press on and getting into winning form for the foreseeable future, allowing them to return to the top four and potentially compete for the title.