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Manchester United welcomed Newcastle to Old Trafford amid rumours of Jose Mourinho being on the verge of getting the boot. A defeat now would certainly increase further pressure on the Portuguese manager. As such, the tension was building before the game at Old Trafford.
Mourinho started with what was pretty much his strongest side, barring perhaps Alexis Sanchez, but given the form that he has been in of late, it could be argued that he isn't part of his best side right now. However, he was dealt with a blow within the first ten minutes of the game.
Kenedy took advantage of some poor defending from United to score the opener in the 7th minute. Yoshinori Muto then doubled the lead in the 10th minute. Manchester United were stunned and Mourinho responded by bringing on Juan Mata for Eric Bailly and switching Scott McTominay to the centre back position.
The first half ended with United trailing 2-0, and it remained so until the 70th minute, before United banged in three goals in 20 minutes to come back to win the game 3-2. It was a second half performance deserving of the victory and there were four players who were instrumental in United securing the win.
These four men initiated the comeback, inspired their team, got the three points and ultimately saved their manager’s job. Read on to identify the four men who saved Mourinho’s job.
#4 Juan Mata
Mourinho started with the Spaniard on the bench, but realized the need for Juan Mata after United were 2-0 down. United were low on creativity and flair on the ball and Mourinho turned to his diminutive Spaniard to take control. He took off Bailly and brought on Mata, with McTominay dropping into the back four. However, the Spaniard did not have much of an impact in the first half.
After the break, Mata started to find his feet in the game. He first set up Rashford in the 50th minute, but the English striker was having a night to forget and wasted time on the ball only for Fernandez to the ball take away from him. Mata then hit one himself, but his volley from 20 yards out was wide of the post. It seemed that the Spaniard would not have any impact on the game, but all of that was about to change.
In the 70th minute, United won a free kick just outside the box and Mata sent an exquisite left footed free kick over the wall and into the net. It changed the mood of the game, it changed the atmosphere in the stadium and it gave United that extra edge, that bite in their attack, that belief in their veins. Juan Mata initiated the Manchester United comeback and might have just saved his manager’s job
#3 Anthony Martial
The Frenchman had been good in recent games and as a result he was selected ahead of the misfiring Alexis Sanchez in the front three. However, Martial did not do enough in the first half to justify his selection. He was poor in the final third, his decision making was dismal and he could not break the Newcastle defence. He did not have too many clear cut chances, but he could not create any chances for his team either.
But like Mata, Martial looked better in the second half. He responded to the change in tactics, he sent in good balls and he tried to draw the Newcastle players to create spaces for his team mates. When Alexis Sanchez was stripped and ready to come on, there were thoughts that it might be Martial’s time. But Mourinho correctly took off the under performing Rashford and almost immediately Martial won the free kick that Mata scored from.
However, Martial was not done yet. Six minutes later, he found himself on the left again and beautifully combined with Pogba, who set him up with a glorious ball. Martial curled the ball into the net first time and the comeback was on. Even without the winner, the desire and hunger showed by Martial till the end ultimately means that he might have been instrumental in saving Mourinho’s job.
#2 Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez was tipped to have a great season, but has sunk lower and lower with every passing game. He had played five games before Saturday and had not found the back of the net. The Chilean cut a sorry figure and looked out of confidence every time he set foot on the field.
This was a huge concern for Manchester United, who had spent a lot of money on him and were also counting on him to spearhead their title challenge this season. Sanchez’s recent bad run of form meant that he started the game on the bench, but Mourinho decided to gamble and brought the Chilean on for Rashford in the second half. Sanchez would go on to return the favour.
Sanchez looked sharp and lively as he came on and tried to set up his team mates. He looked in contention to take the free kick, but Mata took charge and scored. It was an uneventful day for him almost until the last minute of the game, when he found himself in the box again. Ashley Young sent in a good ball and when Martial missed his header completely, Sanchez was in position, but it was not a straight forward chance. The Chilean had to improvise and he did well, scoring the winner and earning United a valuable and morale boosting win at home.
It would do him a whole lot of good, but it has certainly strengthened his manager’s position at the club and Sanchez, by scoring the winning goal, has almost saved Mourinho’s job at Manchester United.
#1 Paul Pogba
The Frenchman hadn’t even sprayed a few passes before United were 2-0 down. He tried to pull the team together from then on, stringing a couple of passes, but the change in tactics following the second goal disrupted his style slightly. For starters, he had to operate in a midfield two alongside Matic. Next, he had to track back a lot, because McTominay was at centre back. He did not find too much support from his team mates, but he did have two attempts on goal in the first half.
The second half saw the Frenchman move further down the field, as Mourinho brought on Fellaini to impact the game. The move saw Pogba operate almost as a sweeper, along with Matic and while the Belgian hardly did anything of substance, as is always expected from him, Pogba did grow in stature with every passing minute of the second half.
He regularly charged up his team mates, urged them to race forward. He drilled in long balls and made those late runs into the box. Pogba in the second half was in inspired form, he defended, he attacked and he looked like a proper leader on the pitch. He continued to take shots on goal, but could not hit the back of the net. But he would affect the game after all.
His lay off for Martial to score the equalizer was just sublime. It was the perfect display of his capabilities and Pogba needs to do this more often for United to succeed. For the winner though, the Frenchman’s contribution almost went unnoticed. He received the ball in the penalty box and attracted the attention of four Newcastle players, creating space for his attackers in the middle. He then cleverly laid the ball for Young to assist Sanchez for the winner.
Paul Pogba might be at daggers drawn with his manager, but against Newcastle, he put in a fantastic shift on the pitch, which most certainly has saved Mourinho’s job.
