Manchester United 3-2 Newcastle United: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis| Premier League 2018-19

#1 Sanchez drills the final nail in the coffin; what does this mean for Manchester United?

It was his moment!

There was an incessant swagger about how United went around with their work after the equalizer. Mourinho was extremely proactive from the touchline and let his emotions take over the steely face attitude that he usually dons.

Alexis Sanchez was on the pitch for the last 25 minutes and as many commentators repeated at that time; “There wouldn’t be a better time for Sanchez to revive his career at Manchester United.”

The Chilean was making the required passes and was hovering near the penalty box. He recovered the ball on some occasions and teed up well with Martial on the left flank.

Martial’s direct approach on the ball meant that United were deadly on the counter-attack and Newcastle’s backline looked increasingly worn out with the constant pressure exerted by United’s players. They flooded the box with crosses from the right wing.

Whereas, Shaw, Pogba and Martial combined at the edge of the touchline on the left flank and moved it ahead with precision and purpose. Ashley Young crossed the ball 16 times but the most important one was the one in the 90th minute.

As Lukaku and Pogba played a one-two, the Frenchman passed it simply to the overlapping Young. The Englishman crossed it almost instantly and Alexis Sanchez, apparently, the shortest man inside the box jumped the highest to precisely put the head behind the net.

There was a sign of relief, satisfaction and content in Sanchez’s face after the goal. Wearing the No. 7 jersey, he hadn’t done much at Old Trafford for the fans to witness his true class and determination over the past nine months.

This was his moment and he capitalized on it with perfection. This game most importantly held importance for Jose Mourinho too. Report from the Daily Mail stated that Mourinho would be sacked after this game irrespective of the result.

This speaks a lot

The Portuguese himself accepted that if he hadn’t received a text message from the board, he would have believed that report too. However, on the touchline, he just proved yet again why the man is worthy enough to lead out Manchester United out of their current crisis.

His substitutions, man-management and tactical tweaks were excellent throughout the course of the game. The decision to haul off Bailly instead of McTominay in the 19th minute to save the Scottish lad from the embarrassment was a very mature one.

Moreover, he allowed Pogba to play as the floater, asking him to build from the back and later run inside the box to create goal-scoring opportunities. Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez delivered the required impacts after coming off the bench too.

Overall, Mourinho proved yet again that the players would be there to fight for him until the end. His tactical game was on spot in the match, but currently, the major task would be to deliver such performances consistently.

For now, the team would head into the international break with a refreshingly positive mindset.