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Jose Mourinho and the entire Manchester United squad needed to wait until 90th minute to affirm their comeback into the game against a resilient Newcastle United in their premier league match inside the Old Trafford.
With his job on the line and the form of his squad, Mourinho's tactical changes saw him live another day with the red devils and brought back the faith of the fans. Despite the win, there's still something that needs polishing in order for them to make it back to the top four and make a contest among the title favorites.
With 2-0 down in the first ten minutes of the match, the Red devils scripted a miraculous comeback as Juan Mata, Anthony Martial scored in the second half and finally Alexis Sanchez winning it at 90th minute for his under-fire manager.
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Here are the things we saw in that match that could prove some sense into this quite unpredictable premier league season.
#1 Attacking freedom should be Mou's focus
The red devils finished the match with five attackers on the pitch and it proved to be the difference for this match. Mourinho's ability to defend is brilliant but his ability to stretch out his squad and even putting in five attackers on the pitch shows the flexibility of Mourinho in his managerial style.
With this tactical shift, the match saw three of his five attackers made their way into the scoresheet as Juan Mata, Martial, and a rejuvenated Alexis Sanchez scored the vital goals in this match to complete the comeback from being down two-nil in the first half. The red devils finished the match with five attackers on the pitch and it proved to be the difference for this match. Mourinho's ability to defend is brilliant but his ability to stretch out his squad and even putting in five attackers on the pitch shows the flexibility of Mourinho in his managerial style.
Not only it was a result of a gamble from the gaffer but also, it was a combined effort amongst the team to notch the win. Without their hard work and perseverance in this match, they might've seen a different ending.
#2 Paul Pogba shone the brightest
Amidst the tension between Mourinho and Paul Pogba, the world cup winner took no time in proving his worth at Old Trafford not only for his managers but also his fans.
After a world record transfer from Juventus, Pogba seemed inconsistent, unreliable and was even left out for some of United's key games. However, Pogba made this match against Newcastle his statement match.
Given the permission to roam around, the Frenchman didn't think about the controversies around him. He's taking long-range shots like he used to, screaming instructions for his teammates and even provided a lovely assist to Anthony Martial that led to the equalizer.
He did shine the brightest in this match to prove to his critics that he really is a world cup winner and a deserving captain of Mourinho's ship.
#3 Newcastle United also showed some fangs
Although they wasted the chance to finish off an aching Manchester United, Rafa Benitez and Newcastle United can see this one as one of the best performances of his side. Yes, they need consistency to keep their opponents at bay but they showed they can surprise any clubs in the prem.
Their opening goal exposed a struggling defense of Manchester United as Ayoze Perez provided an incisive through ball towards Kenedy who then slotted it past David De Gea. Kenedy's placing couldn't have been better as well as he slotted it right at the bottom corner of the goal.
Their second goal was an even impressive one as Jonjo Shelvey fed the ball towards Yoshinori Muto from a free kick to which the Japanese midfielder controlled before turning against his defender and powering the ball into the back of the net.
If Benitez can maintain this run of form from Newcastle minus their late-game inconsistencies, they could be seeing their first premier league win and a chance to stay at the top-flight for quite a long time.
#4 Alexis Sanchez' long-awaited return to form
He's back and there would not be a better moment to announce your comeback to form. Alexis Sanchez made a statement on his return to the squad after missing out the last match against West Ham United.
With the hopes of winning everything the former Arsenal standout transferred to Manchester United, however, due to the number of options given to Mourinho upon the arrival of Romelu Lukaku and the existence of Marcus Rashford and Pogba, Sanchez saw himself spend much of the time at the bench rather than in the starting line-up.
But, with his goal against Newcastle United on the 90th minute, it was the most natural way of proving your worth for your club. His match-winning goal saw him score his third stoppage-time goal in the premier league.
It's been a long time since Sanchez last scored in the premiership but what he's done against Newcastle United could stir up a possible comeback of form for the Chilean. The last time Sanchez scored in the PL it was back in March 31st of 2018 against Swansea.
If he can make his way back into Mourinho's starting line-up, who knows what could Alexis do? United might've signed the other Alexis Sanchez, there's no doubt the real one is on his way back.
# 5 Mourinho is safe, for now..
Their were a lot of rumors that Mourinho could leave the Old Trafford regardless of a win against Newcastle United but the Portuguese didn't hold back in this match. The only thing he had in his mind was to give everything to the fans.
Though this is not a convincing win for the red devils as they won as late as into the 90th minute, Mourinho still defied the critics and showed he's a tactician after all. On the 19th minute of the match, Eric Bailly was subbed off for Juan Mata. Bailly didn't seem to be injured so it was just a tactical move for Mou to give some more life into the midfield.
On the second half, he introduced Marouane Fellaini for ScotMcTominay while he introduced Sanchez on the 67th minute for Marcus Rashford. The timing of these substitutions seemed to be off but it worked some magic for Mou.
Also, he gave his faith to Pogba to roam around and do the stuff he does best was a big move for the manager. For months, Pogba and Mourinho are on an ongoing rift that looked like a father and son argument. However, this game proved to be a touching moment between the two and the fans are hoping it would stay this way.
With a win in the bag, Mourinho also reached a milestone moment as he became the only manager in Manchester United's history to have a winning percentage above 60%. If this will not solidify his job as the gaffer for the red devils, it is difficult to imagine what else will.
