Lukaku finds form in the FA Cup
By Wyatt Miner
Romelu Lukaku is Jose Mourinho’s go to striker, and Saturday’s match against Huddersfield is a clear example why.
A few weeks ago, Manchester United faced a bottom of the table Huddersfield team and came out victorious 2-0. Saturday, the two teams met again. However, in Saturday’s meeting, Romelu Lukaku was the difference maker.
In the 2017/18 season, Romelu Lukaku scores goals in waves. In the pre-season he was scoring a lot of Manchester United’s goals. Lukaku started off the Premier League season scoring plenty of goals. In fact, he was a contender for the golden boot. Unfortunately, Lukaku’s goal-scoring form seemed to vanish. However, in recent weeks, Lukaku keeps finding the scoresheet.
Manchester United were clear favorites in the FA Cup clash. United were, by far, the better team. For example, Huddersfield’s defense looked rather porous. Furthermore, on Lukaku’s first goal, a simple through ball from Juan Mata set the Belgian up for a goal that he would never miss.
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Lukaku is a physical striker. Just before he scores his first goal, he easily shrugs off a defender as if he was never even there.
When Lukaku’s pace pairs with his physicality, he becomes very hard to defend against. Simply put, Huddersfield defense did not stand a chance against an in-form Romelu Lukaku.
On Lukaku’s second goal, Manchester United are defending out of their own half.
Once possession is gained, Lukaku runs up the field with the ball. Then, he passes to Alexis and continues a lengthy run.
Alexis sends a through ball to Lukaku with pinpoint precision. Lukaku takes the ball from half-field, down to the opposition’s goal, and scores. Once again, the Belgian international times his run perfectly, but the goal could not have happened without an accurate pass from Alexis.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
Next: Pogba misses out on FA Cup clash
In the end, Saturday’s match simply got the job done. The team performance was good, but if you consider the opponent, it could have been much better. Of everyone on the pitch, Lukaku stood out. He netted United’s only goals and displayed incredible game awareness. When the Belgian is in-form, he becomes difficult to defend against, and Jose Mourinho is well aware of that. For the foreseeable future, Romelu Lukaku will continue to be Mourinho’s go-to striker.